Marine Turtle Newsletter - Seaturtle.org

Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 158, 2019 - Page 1

ISSN 0839-7708

ArticlesExcessive Annual Numbers of Neritic Immature Kemp’s Ridleys May Prevent Population Recovery.....CW Caillouet, Jr.The Longest Migratory Distance Recorded for a Loggerhead Nesting in Greece......................A Rees & D MargaritoulisFirst Confirmed Hawksbill Nesting on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala........................................C Muccio & S Izquierdo Necropsy of a Green Turtle and the Impacts of Plastic Pollution in Tioman Island, Malaysia..........E Horcajo-Berná et al. Blood Cholesterol as a Biomarker of Fibropapillomatosis in Green Turtles.................C Carneiro da Silva & A BianchiniDog Attacks on Loggerhead Turtles Nesting in Greece.......................................................................D Margaritoulis et al. Sea Turtle Records at the Environmental Protection Area of Algodoal-Maiandeua, Para State, Brazil............BS Dias et al.Strandings of Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, from the Coastal Waters of the United Arab Emirates..........................F Yaghmour

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Marine Turtle Newsletter

An adult loggerhead turtle captured while foraging was tracked during an exceptionally long migration route prior to nesting in Greece. See pages 10-11. Photo by ARCHELON.

Issue Number 158 July 2019

Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 158, 2019 - Page 1© Marine Turtle Newsletter

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ALan F. ReesUniversity of Exeter in Cornwall, UK

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Excessive Annual Numbers of Neritic Immature Kemp’s Ridleys May Prevent Population Recovery

Charles Wax Caillouet, Jr.Montgomery, Texas 77356 USA (E-mail: [email protected])

Nestings of adult female Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) on western Gulf of Mexico (GoM) beaches of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and hatchlings (both sexes) that reached the GoM from these beaches, have dominated this endangered species’ total annual reproductive effort and output, respectively (Heppell et al. 2005, 2007; Márquez-M. et al. 2005, 2018; National Marine Fisheries Service [NMFS] et al. 2011; Wibbels & Bevan 2016). In other words, nesters on Tamaulipas beaches have been the dominant source of Kemp’s ridleys of all life stages. The primary Kemp’s ridley nesting beach near Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas (see map Figure 1 in Márquez et al. 1999) was discovered in 1947 by Andrés Herrera, who filmed the species’ largest ever recorded arribada (Carr 1963; Hildebrand 1963; Pritchard 2007; Bevan et al. 2016; Wibbels & Bevan 2016). Hildebrand (1963) estimated there were 40,000 adult females in this arribada, and noted (according to Herrera’s observations) that many eggs already laid were dug up by later nesters, thereby saturating the entire nesting zone with eggs easily available to predators such as coyotes (Canis latrans). Arribada nesting apparently overwhelms natural predators with an ephemeral overabundance of eggs, leaving the rest to incubate and hatch in comparative safety (Pritchard 2007; NMFS & [US Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 2015). Hatchlings are vulnerable to parasites and predation while in the nest, then to predation during their crawl to the surf (Marquez-M. 1994; Bevan et al. 2014). Mortality of hatchlings due to predation by numerous species of marine fish is greater than that from on-beach predation (Carr 1967; NMFS et al. 2011; NMFS & USFWS 2015).

Herrera’s movie also showed men exploiting eggs (Hildebrand 1963; Carr 1967). However, seven decades before the 1947 arribada, Prieto (1873) reported that marine turtles and their eggs contributed to the commerce of Tamaulipas. In the early 1920s, Mexico’s federal government began promulgating laws, regulations, and acts aimed at reducing harvest of sea turtles and their eggs on land and at sea (Marquez-M. 1994; Márquez et al. 1998; Márquez-M. et al. 2018). Despite such measures, the Kemp’s ridley population declined substantially and was still declining when Hildebrand (1963) urged promulgation of conservation measures to prevent extinction of this species.

In 1966, Mexico’s federal government initiated on-beach patrols and annual protection of as many nesting females, nests, and hatchlings as possible near Rancho Nuevo (Chavez et al. 1968; Heppell et al. 2005, 2007; Márquez-M. et al. 2005, 2018; Pritchard 2007; Márquez-Millán et al. 2014). At the same time, Mexico’s federal government initiated (1) an annual count of nests (Nt, where t is calendar year), which provided an index of annual abundance of nesting females, and (2) a corresponding annual count of hatchlings (ht) released into the GoM, which provided an index of annual reproductive output of these nesting females (Caillouet et al. 2015b, 2016, 2018; Wibbels & Bevan 2016). Annual production of hatchlings (ht) was being restored, but annual nests (Nt) continued to

decline (Fig. 1), because not enough time had elapsed for the new recruits to reach maturity (Marquez-M. 1994). Carr (1977) called for action to save Kemp’s ridley from extinction, noting that the preceding decline in the population was caused by overexploitation of eggs combined with heavy natural predation pressures, but the decline in progress was brought about by incidental capture in shrimp trawls.

In 1978, the US-Mexico Kemp’s ridley restoration and enhancement program was initiated (Márquez Millan et al. 1989; Márquez-M. et al. 2005, 2018; Pritchard 2007; Márquez-Millán et al. 2014; Caillouet et al. 2015b). The population continued declining to near extinction by 1985 (Fig. 1; Byles 1993). During the 1947-1985 population decline, magnitudes of ecological roles in aquatic and terrestrial habitats (Bjorndal & Bolten 2003; see review by Lovich et al. 2018) fulfilled by Kemp’s ridley no doubt had diminished substantially, and the GoM ecosystem likely adjusted to declining abundance of all life stages.

In any analysis or modeling of trends in Nt and ht (Fig. 1), consideration should be given to the intermittent increases in length of the Tamaulipas nester-abundance-index beach over the years, from that of Rancho Nuevo exclusively, to the maximum comprising Rancho Nuevo, Tepehuajes and Playa Dos combined (see map Figure 1 in Márquez et al. 1999; Turtle Expert Working Group [TEWG] 1998, 2000; Heppell et al. 2005, 2007; Márquez-M. et al. 2005; NMFS et al. 2011; Márquez-Millán et al. 2014). Also, during 1966-1977, most nests found and counted (Nt) were left in situ, thus clutches of eggs that were translocated to protective, on-beach hatcheries represented small proportions of Nt; the counts of hatchlings released (ht) in those years originated only from clutches that were translocated and protected (TEWG 1998, 2000; Márquez et al. 1999; Márquez M. 2001; Márquez-M. et al. 2005). During 1978-2018, eggs from all nests found were translocated to protective, on-beach hatcheries, except for those deliberately left in situ (TEWG 1998, 2000; NMFS et al. 2011; Gallaway et al. 2013, 2016a; Caillouet et al. 2016), because either they exceeded the capacity of on-beach hatcheries, or it became logistically impossible to translocate all eggs (Bevan et al. 2014). A robust examination of archived records could be helpful in evaluating levels and efficacy of monitoring Nt and ht over the years.

Cumulative beneficial effects of conservation interventions that reduced mortality on Tamaulipas beaches and at sea, combined with other factors, reversed the decline in Nt by 1986 (Fig. 1; Byles 1993; Marquez-M. 1994; Caillouet 2010; Caillouet et al. 2016), and led to rapid increase in Nt to 19,361 by 2009 (Crowder & Heppell 2011; NMFS et al. 2011; Gallaway et al. 2013, 2016a, 2016b; Caillouet 2014; Caillouet et al. 2015b, 2016, 2018; Dixon & Heppell 2015; NMFS & USFWS 2015; Mazaris et al. 2017; Kocmoud et al. 2019). The other factors were those that contributed to reduction in mortality associated with shrimp trawling in GoM waters, including the 1976 US-Mexico treaty that phased out US


shrimp trawling in Mexico’s GoM waters by 1980, the seasonal Texas Closure to shrimping that began in 1981, the use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) first required by US federal regulations initiated in 1987 and expanded thereafter, hurricane damage to GoM shrimp trawlers and processing facilities, and deteriorating economic conditions within the GoM shrimp industry (Condrey & Fuller 1992; Iversen et al. 1993; Lewison et al. 2003, 2013; Caillouet et al. 2008, 2016; Nance et al. 2008, 2010; Gallaway et al. 2013, 2016a, 2016b). Kemp’s ridley mortality in all life stages, except the oceanic stage, had been greatly reduced (Márquez Millan et al. 1989; Kemp’s Ridley Recovery Team 1992; Lewison et al. 2003, 2013; Heppell et al. 2005, 2007; Márquez-M. et al. 2005, 2018; Crowder & Heppell 2011; Finkbeiner et al. 2011; NMFS et al. 2011; Márquez-Millán et al. 2014; NMFS & USFWS 2015; Caillouet et al. 2016; Valdivia & Suckling 2019). Post-1985 increases in Nt and ht through 2009 suggested that all Kemp’s ridley life stages had increased in abundance, and that their ecological roles and contributions to biodiversity and population resilience within GoM ecosystem were being restored.

The US-Mexico recovery plan (NMFS et al. 2011) established the following demographic criteria for downlisting Kemp’s ridley status according to the US Endangered Species Act from endangered to threatened status: at least 10,000 females (≈ 25,000 nests) nesting in a season on the nester-abundance-index beach, and at least 300,000 hatchlings released annually from that beach. Horizontal dotted lines in Fig. 1 depict these downlisting thresholds for ht and Nt, and vertical dashed lines connect the points for ht and Nt in 2000 and 2010. The recovery plan’s population model predicted that these thresholds would be reached by 2011, and that Nt would continue increasing at a rate 19% per year through 2020, assuming that survival rates within each life stage remained constant (NMFS et al. 2011). However, this rapid increase in Nt was interrupted in 2010, the year in which the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill occurred in the northern GoM (Bjorndal et al. 2011; Caillouet 2011; Crowder & Heppell 2011; Gallaway et al. 2013). Kemp’s ridley strandings increased in the northern GoM during 2010 and 2011, and the DWH oil spill and shrimp trawling received the most attention as possible causes (Caillouet 2011; Gallaway et al. 2013). During 2010-2018, Nt

ranged 10,987-22,415 (Fig. 1), with its lowest in 2014 and highest in 2017, all of which were below predicted levels (Caillouet 2014; Caillouet et al. 2015b, 2016, 2018; Crowder & Heppell 2011; Dixon & Heppell 2015; Gallaway et al. 2013, 2016a, 2016b; Kocmoud et al. 2019; NMFS et al. 2011; NMFS & USFWS 2015). This represented a major setback in Kemp’s ridley nesting (Caillouet et al. 2016). Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (2016) concluded that the oil spill was unlikely to have had a direct impact on Kemp’s ridley nesting in 2010, but could have contributed to reduced numbers of nests in subsequent years through direct and indirect pathways. Gallaway et al. (2016b) estimated there were 61,330 Kemp’s ridley deaths in 2010, of which they attributed 5% to incidental mortality in shrimp trawls, 19% to natural causes of mortality, and 76% to undetermined anthropogenic causes of mortality other than shrimp trawling. Various hypotheses have been put forward to explain the 2010-2018 nesting setback, but none have been confirmed with certainty (Gallaway et al. 2016a, 2016b; Caillouet et al. 2018; Kocmoud et al. 2019). Despite the nesting setback, ht ranged 291,268-1,025,027 during 2000-2018, exceeding the 300,000-hatchling threshold established by NMFS et al. (2011) in all but one (2001) of the last 19 years (Fig. 1). Maintenance of such high levels of ht for almost 2 decades demonstrates the dedication of Mexico to its on-beach conservation interventions in Tamaulipas and their efficacy.

Neritic immature and adult sea turtles are subject to compensatory density-dependent functions (National Research Council 2010). Lowered per capita availability of food for neritic Kemp’s ridleys can reduce somatic growth rates, increase age at sexual maturity (ASM), and reduce body condition of adults and their ability to migrate to nesting beaches; it can reduce the ability of adult females to develop eggs and nest, as well as increase inter-nesting and remigration intervals (Bjorndal et al. 2014; Caillouet 2014; Caillouet et al. 2016, 2018; Gallaway et al. 2016b; Avens et al. 2017; Omeyer et al. 2017; Craven et al. 2019; Kocmoud et al. 2019). It is unlikely that oceanic stage Kemp’s ridleys compete with conspecific neritic immatures or adults for food and other resources, but likely that neritic immatures and adults do compete for food and other resources. It is unlikely that availability of nesting beaches

Figure 1. Trends in Kemp’s ridley Ht, ht, and Nt, where t is calendar year, Ht is cumulative annual number of hatchlings released, ht is annual number of hatchlings released, and Nt is annual number of nests (i.e., clutches of eggs laid) on the Tamaulipas, Mexico nester-abundance-index beach during 1966-2018. Horizontal dotted lines represent annual minima, ht (300,000) and Nt (25000 ≈10,000 adult females), for downlisting Kemp’s ridley to threatened status (see NMFS et al. 2011).


has limited Kemp’s ridley population growth; as the population increased, nesting spread within and beyond Tamaulipas, arribada size increased on beaches of Tamaulipas and elsewhere, and arribada nesting is the norm (Márquez et al. 1999; Jiménez-Quiroz et al.

2003; Heppell et al. 2005, 2007; Márquez-M. et al. 2005; NMFS et al. 2011; Márquez-Millán et al. 2014). However, average ht/Nt has been declining since it peaked in 1989, and its cause has not been determined (Caillouet 2014; Caillouet et al. 2016).

Density independence has been assumed in most modeling of the Kemp’s ridley population (TEWG 1998, 2000; NMFS et al. 2011; Heppell et al. 2005, 2007; Coyne & Landry 2007; Crowder & Heppell 2011; Gallaway et al. 2013, 2016a; Dixon & Heppell 2015; NMFS & USFWS 2015). However, density-dependent effects on various vital (demographic) rates were evident before 2010 (Heppell et al. 2005, 2007; Caillouet 2014; Caillouet et al. 2016, 2018; Gallaway et al. 2016b; Shaver et al. 2016; Avens et al. 2017). The regression model applied by Caillouet et al. (2018) showed that density dependence affected Nt before 1962 and after 2004, with an interval of density-independent changes in Nt in between. Caillouet et al. (2018) hypothesized that slowing of the rate of increase in Nt after 2004 was caused by a combination of declining carrying capacity for Kemp’s ridleys due to degradation of the GoM ecosystem, exponential growth of the population, and declining per capita availability of food for neritic immatures and adults, including natural prey and scavenged discarded bycatch from shrimp trawling. Factors that could have contributed to declining per capita availability of food included intraspecific competition among neritic immatures and adults, their interspecific competition with other marine predators and scavengers, effects of fisheries for crabs, and reductions in discarded bycatch from the shrimp fishery (Gallaway et al. 2016b; Avens et al. 2017; Caillouet et al. 2018; Craven et al. 2019; Kocmoud et al. 2019). The more abundant loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) may also compete for food with Kemp’s ridley (Hart et al. 2018; Lamont & Iverson 2018).

Caillouet et al. (2018) prompted my examination herein of four novel and simple rates of change calculated from Nt, ht, and Ht, where Ht is the cumulative annual count of hatchlings released from the nester-abundance-index beach (see Figure 7 in Caillouet et al. 2016), to determine whether these rates exhibited pre-2010 evidence of density dependence. The range in t for these calculations was 1966-2018. Because assumed ASM affects results of Kemp’s ridley population models, I incorporated three different values (8, 10, and 12 years) for M (minimum ASM) in calculating some of these rates. The range in published estimates of ASM for wild Kemp’s ridleys is 6.8-21.8 years (Snover et al. 2007; NMFS et al. 2011; Avens et al. 2017). Models applied by TEWG (1998) and Heppell et al. (2005) incorporated assumed ASMs of 8, 10, and 12 years. Each value of M was assumed constant over t, as is usually the case with ASM in various models (but see the review by Bernardo 1993). In modeling, increasing the value of ASM increases the number of cohorts of neritic immatures in the estimated population, because the number of cohorts in the oceanic stage is typically held constant (TEWG 1998, 2000; Heppell et al. 2005, 2007; Coyne & Landry 2007; Crowder & Heppell 2011; NMFS et al. 2011; Gallaway et al. 2013, 2016a, 2016b; Kocmoud et al. 2019). The four rates were:(1) Nt /Nt-M, for M values of 8, 10, and 12 years; (2) Nt /Ht-M, for M values of 8, 10, and 12 years;(3) ht /ht-1, the finite multiplication rate based on hatchlings released

in each pair of consecutive years, and(4) ht /Ht-M, for M values 8, 10, and 12 years.

Figure 2. Trends in Kemp’s ridley Nt /Nt-M, where t is calendar year, Nt is the annual number of nests (clutches of eggs laid) on the Tamaulipas, Mexico nester-abundance-index beach during 1974-2018, 1976-2018, and 1978-2018, for assumed minimum age at sexual maturity, M, of 8 years, 10 years, and 12 years, respectively. Dotted lines represent Nt /Nt-M = 1.


Regardless of assumed M, 2000 and 2009 were pivotal years for the trend in Nt /Nt-M, as shown by substantial slowing of its trends after 2000 and again after 2009. Early values of Nt /Nt-M were below 1 for the three values of M (Fig. 2). Starting values of Nt /Nt-M were 0.244 for an M of 8 years, 0.185 for M=10 years, and 0.154 for M

=12 years. Through 2000, Nt /Nt-M increased least rapidly for M=8 years, more rapidly for M=10 years, and most rapidly for M=12 years, because increases in M postponed the starting points for Nt /Nt-M, thereby shortening the interval between starting years and 2000. Caillouet et al. (2018) plotted the time series of Nt /Nt-1, referring to it as the finite multiplication rate. Its highest level occurred in 2000 and its lowest in 2010 (Figure 1 B in Caillouet et al. 2018). The plot of residuals for the demographic model applied in the recovery plan (Figure 5 in NMFS et al. 2011) provided evidence of an inflection point in growth of Nt in 2000 when the largest positive residual occurred.

All values of Nt /Ht-M were below 1 (Fig. 3), because Ht was so much larger than Nt throughout the time series (Fig. 1), as expected. Starting values of the trends in Nt /Ht-M were highest (0.0480) for M=8 years, intermediate (0.0363) for M=10 years, and lowest (0.0302) for M=12 years. All trends in Nt /Ht-M were steeply downward during the pre-1986 population decline. The pre-2010 minimum Nt /Ht-M was 0.00168 in 1989 for M=8 years, 0.00206 in 1989 for M=10 years, and 0.00252 in 1993 for M=12 years. Regardless of assumed M, 2000 and 2009 were pivotal years for the trends in Nt /Ht-M. Caillouet et al. (2016) were the first to plot Nt /Ht-M, limiting it to M = 10 (see their Figure 7).

Variation in values of ht / ht-1 was relatively wide during the first ≈ 2 decades, then narrowed through 2000 (Fig. 4). Interestingly, the highest value of ht /ht-1 occurred in 1976, prior to the beginning of the US-Mexico Kemp’s ridley restoration and enhancement program. Years 2000 and 2009 were pivotal for ht / ht-1, with ht / ht-1 exhibiting a general decline with increased variability after 2000.

Starting values of the trends in ht / Ht-M were lowest (0.81) for M=8 years, intermediate (1.18) for an M=10 years, and highest (1.57) for M=12 years (Fig. 5). For all values of M, the trends in ht /Ht-M were downward as the population declined; the downward trend of ht /Ht-M was least steep for an M=8 years, intermediate for M=10 years, and most steep for M=12 years. Interestingly, the pre-2010 minimum ht /Ht-M was 0.00168 in 1989 for M=8 years, 0.00206 in 1989 for M=10 years, and 0.00252 in 1993 for M=12 years, although minimum Nt occurred in 1985. Regardless of assumed M, 2000 and 2009 were pivotal years for the trend in ht /Ht-M , with drops in 2010 marking the beginning of the nesting setback.

Figure 3. Trends in Kemp’s ridley Nt /Ht-M, where t is calendar year, Nt is annual number of nests (clutches of eggs laid) on the Tamaulipas, Mexico nester-abundance-index beach during 1974-2018, 1976-2018, and 1978-2018, for assumed minimum age at sexual maturity, M, of 8 years, 10 years, and 12 years, respectively, and Ht-M is cumulative annual number of hatchlings released on the nester-abundance-index beach during 1966-2010, 1966-2008, and 1966-2006, respectively.

Figure 4. Trend in Kemp’s ridley ht/ht-1, where t is calendar year, ht is annual number of hatchlings released on the Tamaulipas, Mexico nester-abundance-index beach during 1967-2018. The horizontal dotted line represents ht /ht-1 = 1.


Given that density dependence appears to have begun reducing the rate of growth of the Kemp’s ridley population around year 2000, I hypothesize that annual numbers of neritic immatures became excessive around that year. I recommend that age-structured

modeling that incorporates estimates of annual mortality attributable to shrimp trawling in the GoM (e.g., Gallaway et al. 2013, 2016a, 2016b) be conducted to estimate annual numbers of adults and neritic immatures in the population during 1985-2018. For such modeling, data covering Mexico’s shrimp trawling in the GoM should be acquired and combined with data covering US shrimp trawling in the GoM, for purposes of estimating total annual Kemp’s ridley mortality attributable to shrimp trawling within the entire GoM. The 1985-2018 trend in the annual quotient calculated by dividing estimated annual number of adults by estimated annual number of neritic immatures can then be examined. If this annual quotient initially increased then later declined, the decline would suggest density-dependent limitation of population growth and show when it began developing. This approach is consistent with earlier modeling that estimated the potential of experimental reintroduction of Kemp’s ridley nesting to Padre Island National Seashore and use of TEDs to contribute to Kemp’s ridley population growth (Caillouet et al. 2015b; Heppell et al. 1996, 2005, 2007; Heppell & Crowder 1998; NMFS et al. 2011; NMFS & USFWS 2015; Shaver & Caillouet 2015; TEWG 1998, 2000). I welcome the application of other types of age-structured modeling to estimate annual numbers of adults and neritic immatures for use in calculating the suggested quotient and its trend beginning with 1985.

Pritchard (2007) pondered the possibility that the unstated goal of producing “as many turtles as possible” should be abandoned, “not only because natural population constraints will eventually be felt on the feeding grounds but also because there is almost certainly some level of density of an arribada at which the sheer number of turtles is counterproductive, leading to degradation of the beach and massive, although accidental, destruction of eggs laid by previous nesters”. Natural population constraints on the feeding grounds seem more likely to have begun limiting the Kemp’s ridley population’s growth rate than arribada density, because most nests have been protected in on-beach hatcheries, beginning in 1978 (Caillouet 2006).

In all modeling of Kemp’s ridley population dynamics to date, additions from immigration and losses from emigration have been ignored. However, the proportion of the population retained within the GoM is much greater than that in the Atlantic (NMFS et al. 2011; Putman et al. 2013; NMFS & USFWS 2015). I assume that Kemp’s ridley immigration represents the return of neritic stage turtles from the North Atlantic Ocean (NOA) to the GoM, and emigration represents transport of oceanic stage turtles into the NAO combined with movement of neritic stage turtles from the GoM to the NAO. Migration distances from the NAO to western GoM nesting beaches are longer than those from within the GoM. Annually, the oceanic stage is much more abundant than the neritic stage, so losses to the NAO likely exceed gains by the GoM. The total number of GoM tag returns for Kemp’s ridleys tagged along the US east coast is low, although most of them were documented for Tamaulipas nesters (Caillouet et al. 2015b). It is time for future Kemp’s ridley population models to incorporate metrics of emigration and immigration, based on dispersal in the oceanic stage and examinations of available catch-mark-recapture and tracking data for neritic stage turtles, to determine whether there is a net loss to the NAO, and if so to estimate its magnitude. Notwithstanding possible net loss from the population through emigration into the NAO, nestings on the US east coast appear to be increasing, and may someday reach levels important to sustaining the population, just

Figure 5. Trends in Kemp’s ridley ht/Ht-M, where t is calendar year, ht is annual number of hatchlings released on the Tamaulipas, Mexico nester-abundance-index beach during 1974-2018, 1976-2018, and 1978-2018, for assumed minimum age at sexual maturity, M, of 8 years, 10 years, and 12 years, respectively, and Ht-M is cumulative annual number of hatchlings released on the nester-abundance-index beach during 1966-2010, 1966-2008, and 1966-2006, respectively. Horizontal dotted lines represent ht/Ht-M = 1.


as nestings in the GoM in locations other than Tamaulipas provide “safety nets” for the species.

Heppell et al. (2007) and Wibbels & Bevan (2016) suggested that demographic criteria for delisting Kemp’s ridley may be unachievable. Consideration should be given to adding a recovery criterion related to achieving an annual population age-structure similar to that in 1947; i.e., one with a much higher proportion of adult females than currently exists (Caillouet et al. 2018). A challenge is that the effects of any changes in conservation interventions will not be detectable via the Nt metric for approximately a decade. If reduced GoM carrying capacity for Kemp’s ridleys is currently the dominant factor limiting population growth, then ongoing efforts to restore the GoM ecosystem may mitigate its effects (see Caillouet et al. 2018; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2017; Peterson et al. 2011). In the interim, continued monitoring of Nt and ht will make it possible to observe the effects of status quo maintaining or increasing ht (NMFS et al. 2011). Consistent with this status quo approach was the suggestion by Caillouet et al. (2016) that the most expedient way to restore Kemp’s ridley population growth toward recovery would be to translocate more clutches to protective corrals, leaving fewer in situ, but I would recommend against it at this time.

If annual numbers of neritic immatures in the population are already excessive and preventing population recovery as defined by NMFS et al. (2011), it would seem prudent to begin reducing numbers of neritic immatures by reducing annual numbers of hatchlings released from Tamaulipas beaches. This could be achieved by leaving more clutches in situ without protection (NMFS et al. 2011; TEWG 1998, 2000). This could free some of the personnel and resources now devoted to collecting, translocating, and protecting clutches, to focus on researching (1) past, present, and future annual proportions of putative neophyte nesting females (Caillouet 2014), (2) cause(s) of the post-1989 decline in ht /Nt (Caillouet 2014), (3) past, present, and future annual carapace length-frequency distributions of nesting females (Caillouet 2014), (4) past, present, and future health and body condition of nesting females (5) past, present, and future remigration intervals (via catch-mark-recapture) of nesting females (Gallaway et al. 2016b; Kocmoud et al. 2019), (6) sampling methods that ensure accurate counts of nesting females (NMFS et al. 2011; Rees et al. 2018) and hatchlings released, (7) life-long tags or marks for mass-tagging cohorts of hatchlings (Caillouet & Higgins 2015), (8) past, present, and future annual sex ratios of hatchlings, and (9) detection of tags or marks on nesting females (external and internal). Consideration should also be given to updating and modifying the bi-national recovery plan (Caillouet 2006; Caillouet et al. 2015a), including the demographic criteria for downlisting and delisting. Whether or not the analyses and modeling recommended herein are conducted, continued on-beach conservation interventions (at a level to be determined) and monitoring on the coast of Tamaulipas are essential to Kemp’s ridley population recovery within the GoM, and they are required to maintain and enhance the secondary and tertiary nesting colonies in Veracruz and Texas that contribute to the population’s diversity and resilience (NMFS et al. 2011; NMFS & USFWS 2015; Tecolutla Turtle Project 2018). Acknowledgements. I am grateful that Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) made Nt and ht data pairs for 1966-2018 available. The data pairs for 1966-2014 were

obtained from NMFS & USFWS (2015), and those for 2015-2018 were obtained from Jaime Peña, Gladys Porter Zoo, Texas, via annual reports for the “Mexico/United States of America population restoration project for the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempii, on the coasts of Tamaulipas Mexico.” Special thanks are due to Nathan F. Putman, Benny J. Gallaway, William E. Grant, and my daughter Theresa E. Caillouet, who reviewed various versions of the manuscript and offered helpful comments. MTN editor, Matthew H. Godfrey, and two anonymous peer reviewers also made helpful comments. I commend all who have participated in Kemp’s ridley population recovery efforts in Mexico and the US, including those in federal, state, and local government agencies, corporations, businesses, universities, conservation organizations, and communities (volunteers). I dedicate this review to Peter C.H. Pritchard and René Márquez-Millán, and to the memories of Henry H. Hildebrand, Archie F. Carr, and Andrés Herrera.AVENS, L., L.R. GOSHE, L. COGGINS, D.J. SHAVER, B.

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The Longest Migratory Distance Recorded for a Loggerhead Nesting in Greece

ALan F. Rees & Dimitris MargaritoulisARCHELON, The Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, Solomou 57, GR-10432 Athens, Greece

(E-mail: [email protected], [email protected])

Mediterranean loggerhead turtles nest mainly in eastern Mediterranean and particularly in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Libya with Greece hosting the largest number of nests (Casale et al. 2018). As juveniles, Mediterranean loggerheads may migrate into the western Mediterranean as evidenced by genetic markers (Clusa et al. 2014). However, the majority of adult females, as revealed by flipper tag returns and satellite tracking, remain within the eastern Mediterranean (Margaritoulis 1988, Margaritoulis et al. 2003, Margaritoulis & Rees 2011, Zbinden et al. 2011, Schofield et al. 2013, Patel et al. 2015, Snape et al. 2016).

In 2013 ARCHELON carried out a satellite tracking project on seven loggerhead turtles in the vicinity of Mesolonghi Lagoon, Greece (38.323 °N, 21.357 °E), a foraging area for loggerhead turtles, but with the occasional presence of green turtles reported. This paper presents the results of one satellite tagged loggerhead turtle that was re-observed on a nesting beach two months after the transmitter had ceased operation.

Turtles in July 2013 were captured by turtle rodeo technique from the shallow waters in and adjacent to the Mesolonghi Lagoon. Curved carapace length, notch to tip (CCL), and straight carapace length, notch to tip (SCL), were measured for each turtle, any existing injuries were recorded, and turtles were flipper tagged with

a single Monel metal tag on the trailing edge of each front flipper. Turtles were equipped with Kiwisat 202 Platform Transmitter Terminals (satellite tags) attached to the carapace with 2-part epoxy (see cover photo). Tracking route data were filtered to retain the best location per day with Argos LC quality ordered from best to worst; 3, 2, 1, 0, A, B. If there were two locations of equal best quality in one day, then the one closest to 12:00 UTC was retained.

Complementing this work, ARCHELON annually monitors several loggerhead nesting beaches in Greece during nesting season, including night time patrols that include flipper tagging post-nesting individual turtles (Margaritoulis 1988).

One female loggerhead turtle named Reggina was captured, close to Mesolonghi Lagoon, on 15 July 2013. She exhibited a healed injury to the anterior left margin of her carapace but this did not affect the collection of accurate length measurements (Table 1). She bore no evidence of having been flipper tagged previously.

Upon release on the same date of its capture, Reggina departed the Mesolonghi area immediately, heading south then west, passing along the east and north side of Zakynthos Island, en route to Italy. From Italy she continued through Maltese waters before reaching Tunisia and proceeded further into the western Mediterranean, reaching the deep seas off Algeria and at one point the turtle

Figure 1. Reggina’s migration from Mesolonghi Lagoon to the western Mediterranean. Upper panel: Regina’s complete migration from east to west with inset for regional context. Lower left panel: long-term oceanic looping undertaken by Reggina until the transmitter ceased functioning. 500 m isobath shown as grey line. Lower right panel: Origin of the migration from Mesolonghi Lagoon (upper right) including Reggina’s passing of Zakynthos Island where she would return to nest three years later.


approached the Spanish island of Ibiza, around 1800 km from where she was tagged (Fig. 1).

She undertook extensive oceanic circling between 5 September 2013 and 24 February 2014 (172 days) when transmissions stopped. Average sea depth experienced by the turtle during this time was 2,614 m (SD=467, range=333-2,876 m, n=150 days). Her last location was received on 24 February 2014, only 15 km from coast of Algeria but still in water 1,440 m deep.

Reggina was next observed while nesting on Sekania Beach, Zakynthos Island, Greece, on 21 July 2016, by researchers working on ARCHELON’s long-term nesting beach tagging project. While nesting, her carapace was again measured (Table 1) and indicated she had grown at least 1 cm in the intervening three years. The turtle was identified by her two flipper tags and characteristic left-side injury. There was no observable evidence of the satellite tag attachment on the carapace, with the transmitter and epoxy having been shed at some point after transmissions ceased.

We do not know whether the turtle was an adult when it was first encountered in Mesolonghi Lagoon in 2013 and equipped with its satellite tag, but this track represents the furthest distance from its nesting beach that a turtle known to nest in Greece has been tracked (>1700 km). Other published records of turtles nesting in Greece do not include any migratory distances greater than 1300 km from the nesting area; these include all known flipper-tag returns as well as all published satellite tracks (Margaritoulis 1988, Margaritoulis et al. 2003, Margaritoulis & Rees 2011, Zbinden et al. 2011, Schofield et al. 2013, Patel et al. 2015). Additionally, one nesting female from Kyparissia Bay, west Peloponnese (90km SE from Zakynthos), has been tracked to her nesting beach from the northern Adriatic (Luschi et al. 2013) ca. 1,100 km away.Acknowledgements. The Mesolonghi Lagoon project was funded by INTERREG project PROACT NATURA 2000. We are grateful for the efforts of the field team in Mesolonghi as well as to all ARCHELON volunteers that work on the nesting beaches of Greece.CASALE, P., A.C. BRODERICK, J.A. CAMIÑAS, L. CARDONA,

C. CARRERAS, A. DEMETROPOULOS, W.J. FULLER, B.J. GODLEY, S. HOCHSCHEID, Y. KASKA, B. LAZAR, D. MARGARITOULIS, A. PANAGOPOULOU, A.F. REES, J. TOMÁS & O. TÜRKOZAN. 2018. Mediterranean sea turtles: current knowledge and priorities for conservation and research. Endangered Species Research 36: 229-267.

CLUSA, M, C. CARRERAS, M. PASCUAL, S.J. GAUGHRAN, S. PIOVANO, C. GIACOMA, G. FERNÁNDEZ, Y. LEVY, J. TOMÁS, J.A. RAGA, F. MAFFUCCI, S. HOCHSCHEID, A. AGUILAR & L. CARDONA. 2014. Finescale distribution of juvenile Atlantic and Mediterranean loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Biology 161: 509-519.

LUSCHI, P., R. MENCACCI, C. VALLINI, A. LIGAS, P. LAMBARDI & S. BENVENUTI. 2013. Long-term tracking of adult loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean Sea. Journal of Herpetology 47: 227-231.

MARGARITOULIS, D. 1988. Post-nesting movements of loggerhead sea turtles tagged in Greece. Rapports et Procès-verbaux des réunions de la Commission Internationale pour l’Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Méditerranée 31: 284.

MARGARITOULIS, D., R. ARGANO, I. BARAN, F. BENTIVEGNA, M.N. BRADAI, J.A. CAMIÑAS, P. CASALE, G. DE METRIO, A. DEMETROPOULOS, G. GEROSA, B.J. GODLEY, D.A. HADDOUD, J. HOUGHTON, L. LAURENT & B. LAZAR. 2003. Loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: present knowledge and conservation perspectives. In: Bolten, A.B. & B.E. Witherington (Eds.). Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Smithsonian Books, Washington D.C. pp. 175-198.

MARGARITOULIS, D. & A.F. REES. 2011. Loggerhead turtles nesting at Rethymno, Greece, prefer the Aegean Sea as their main foraging area. Marine Turtle Newsletter 131: 12-14.

PATEL, S.H., S.J. MORREALE, A. PANAGOPOULOU, H. BAILEY, N.J. ROBINSON, F.V. PALADINO, D. MARGARITOULIS & J.R. SPOTILA. 2015. Changepoint analysis: a new approach for revealing animal movements and behaviors from satellite telemetry data. Ecosphere 6(12): 291.

SCHOFIELD, G., A. DIMADI, S. FOSSETTE, K.A. KATSELIDIS, D. KOUTSOUBAS, M.K.S. LILLEY, A. LUCKMAN, J.D. PANTIS, A.D. KARAGOUNI & G.C. HAYS. 2013. Satellite tracking large numbers of individuals to infer population level dispersal and core areas for the protection of an endangered species. Diversity and Distributions 19: 834-844.

SNAPE, R.T.E., A.C. BRODERICK, B.A. ÇIÇEK, W.J. FULLER, F. GLEN, K. STOKES & B.J. GODLEY. 2016. Shelf life: neritic habitat use of a turtle population highly threatened by fisheries. Diversity and Distributions 22: 797-807.

Date CCL SCL15/07/2013 77.0 72.121/07/2016 78.0 74.0

Table 1. Carapace lengths (cm) for Reggina from first and last observation.


The first confirmed nest made by a hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) on the Pacific coast of Guatemala occurred during the night of 22 July 2018 near the village of Madre Vieja (13.91103° N, 90.56161° W), 8 km west of the touristic resort of Monterrico. Local egg collectors Claudio and Estuard Montepeque were the first to encounter the turtle and were struck by its size and the fact that it took over 3 hours to lay its eggs. They were joined by one of us (SI), who photo-documented the nesting (Fig. 1). The nesting turtle had a metal flipper tag in its left front flipper (GK254, Fig. 2). A total of 156 eggs were collected from the nest and transported to the El Banco Hatchery, 4 km to the east, for protected incubation. All but five of the eggs produced hatchlings, which were then released to the ocean.

SI contacted CM, who then contacted members of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (ICAPO) and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to these groups, the flipper tag #GK 254 was first applied to an adult female hawksbill turtle nesting in Bahia de Jiquilisco, El Salvador on 09 June 2014. This site is ~300 km from the nest deposited at Madre Vieja, which is the longest distance between nests ever recorded for a single hawksbill turtle in the eastern Pacific. This is also one of the few examples of multinational nesting in the region by an individual hawksbill turtle.

First Confirmed Hawksbill Nesting on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala

Colum Muccio1 & Sergio Izquierdo2

1Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association (ARCAS), Ciudade de Guatemala, Guatemala (E-mail: [email protected]); 2Asociación de Biología Marina de Guatemala (ABIMA), Ciudade de Guatemala, Guatemala (E-mail: [email protected])

In Guatemala, juvenile hawksbills are occasionally reported as incidentally captured by fisherman in mangrove estuaries and in the ocean (Gaos et al. 2010; Brittain et al. 2012). Between 1982 and 2009, two hawksbill nests were reported in Pacific Guatemala (Gaos et al. 2010), although these records lacked photographic evidence. The nest described here is the first confirmed hawksbill nest on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. The discovery is extremely significant considering that all nests on the Guatemalan Pacific coast are laid by olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), with green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) also nesting infrequently in the country. This documentation should help raise awareness about the presence of hawksbills in Guatemala, and hopefully will result in additional records of local nesting by this critically endangered species.Acknowledgements. We thank Ingrid Yañez of ICAPO and Jeff Seminoff of NOAA for information on the tagging history of this hawksbill turtle.BRITTAIN, R., S. HANDY & S. LUCAS. 2012. Two reports of

juvenile hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) on the southeast coast of Guatemala. Marine Turtle Newsletter 133: 20-22.

GAOS, A.R., F.A. ABREU-GROBOIS, J. ALFARO-SHIGUETO, D. AMOROCHO, R. ARAUZ, A. BAQUERO, R. BRISEÑO,

Figure 1. Nesting hawksbill sea turtle on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, in July 2018. The eggs were collected and transported to a protected hatchery for incubation.


Figure 2. Metal flipper tag with ID GK254 on the hawkbill turtle’s left front flipper.

D. CHACÓN, C. DUEÑAS, M. LILES, G. MARIONA, C. MUCCIO, J.P. MUÑOZ, W.J. NICHOLS, M. PEÑA, J.A. SEMINOFF, M. VÁSQUEZ, J. URTEAGA, B. WALLACE, I.L. YAÑEZ & P. ZÁRATE. 2010. Signs of hope in the eastern

Pacific: international collaboration reveals encouraging status for the severely depleted population of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata. Oryx 44: 595-601.


Necropsy of a Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the Impacts of Plastic Pollution in Tioman Island, Malaysia

Eva Horcajo-Berná1, Alberto García-Baciero1, Daniel Yap1 & Nur Izzati-Roslan1,2

1Juara Turtle Project, Tioman Island, Malaysia (E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]); 2National University of Malaysia, Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia (E-mail: [email protected])

On 08 June 2017, the Juara Turtle Project (JTP) received reports from Air Batang locals and officers of the Department of Fisheries (DoF) in Tioman Island, Malaysia, that a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) was displaying an abnormal behavior at the sea surface of coastal waters and was unable to dive. Despite efforts to save this individual, it was found in an extremely weak state, and it died few hours after being rescued. No external injuries were present, but there was little musculature around the flippers and neck, suggesting severe signs of starvation (Fig. 1a). The turtle measured 73.0 cm in curved carapace length and 59.5 cm in curved carapace width, and thus was identified as a juvenile.

At the JTP center, a necropsy was performed the same day of the turtle’s death, revealing a massive obstruction in the digestive tract of the turtle. Gas pockets of considerable size formed in some parts of the intestines (Fig. 1b), which might have seriously restricted its

ability to dive. When its digestive content was examined, a mass of plastic, string, foam and monofilament lines was found embedded in a black layer of oil and bile (Figs. 1c, 1d). In total, 75 fragments of monofilament lines (48%), 55 string pieces (35%), 20 pieces of rope (13%), 3 pieces of foam (2%) and 3 plastic fragments (2%) were recovered. A video describing the whole process can be found online (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4RQ_xH0Y4k).

This is the first documented case of a sea turtle death in Tioman Island associated with plastic ingestion. However, the mortality of marine life due to debris ingestion is well documented worldwide (Mrosovsky et al. 2008; Bernardini et al. 2018; Germanov et al. 2018; Wilcox et al. 2018). Tioman Island has four nesting beaches for green turtles and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), with an average of 60 nests per year. Moreover, the island also supports a population of resident juvenile green and hawksbill turtles that

Figure 1. A. Turtle before the necropsy. The area surrounding the eyes suggests signs of starvation. B. Gas pocket in the blocked digestive tract. C. Detail of contents recovered from the digestive tract after rinsing. D. Contents before rinsing.


use the coastal area around the island as a feeding ground (~50 individuals identified). For juvenile sea turtles, just one gram of debris can lead them to death (Guimaraes-Santos et al. 2015).

From mid-September to early November 2018, JTP and volunteers organized beach clean-ups in Mentawak Beach and Nayak Bay, two locations where sea turtles are often spotted feeding in the nearshore waters. In total, 224.5 kg of trash was removed. Of the 7962 items identified, most were plastic/foam pieces (47%) and plastic bottles (33%), followed by other trash (7%), fishing gear (5%) and cigarette butts (3%) (Fig. 2). All the items collected were classified using the app CleanSwell developed by the Ocean Conservancy (www.oceanconservancy.org). Because most of the trash found during beach cleanups had washed in from the ocean, this reflects the potential threats of plastic on turtles around their feeding grounds. Given this, JTP has started a “plastic-free” campaign in Juara Village in Tioman Island in 2019 to reduce single-use plastic. We plan to provide stainless steel straws as well as re-usable tote bags to local businesses to reduce single-use plastic consumption in the village. This could be the cornerstone of promoting eco-friendly initiatives within the community.

Although the single case presented here constitutes only one example of the impacts of plastic debris ingestion on sea turtles, we suspect that this is not an isolated case in the area. Ongoing assessment on the impact of marine debris on the turtle populations nesting and feeding at Tioman Island is essential, and will reveal what percentage of mortality is due to plastic entanglement or ingestion.

Acknowledgements. Thanks to all our volunteers and especially to Joe Wagner for documenting this case through photos and videos. Thanks also to the United World College South East Asia for their financial support to JTP, the DoF Malaysia for reporting the case and finally to Dr Wong Ee Phin for providing assistance while writing this manuscript. BERNARDINI, I., F. GARIBALDI, L. CANESI, M.C. FOSSI

& M. BAINI M. 2018. First data on plastic ingestion by blue sharks (Prionace glauca) from the Ligurian Sea (North-Western Mediterranean sea). Marine Pollution Bulletin 135: 303-310.

GERMANOV, E.S., A.D. MARSHALL, L. BEJDER, M.C. FOSSI & N.R. LONERAGAN. 2018. Microplastics: no small problem for filter-feeding megafauna. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 33: 227-232.

GUIMARAES SANTOS, R., R. ANDRADES, M. ALTOÉ-BOLDRINI & A. SILVA-MARTINS. 2015. Debris ingestion by juvenile marine turtles: an underestimated problem. Marine Pollution Bulletin 93: 37-43.

MROSOVSKY, N., G.D. RYAN & M.C. JAMES. 2009. Leatherback turtles: the menace of plastic. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58: 287-289.

WILCOX, C., M. PUCKRIDGE, Q.A. SCHUYLER, K. TOWNSEND & D.B. HARDESTY. 2018. A quantitative analysis linking sea turtle mortality and plastic debris ingestion. Scientific Reports 8: 12536.

Figure 2. Trash items collected from beach cleanups in Mentawak and Nayak (2018).

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Blood Cholesterol as a Biomarker of Fibropapillomatosis in Green Turtles

Cinthia Carneiro da Silva & Adalto BianchiniPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas - Fisiologia Animal Comparada, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas,

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, 96.203-900, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil (Email: [email protected]; [email protected])

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a neoplastic disease affecting turtles, especially the green turtle Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus 1758). The prevalence of FP has increased dramatically in the last two to three decades, and is now considered an emerging panzootic disease, threatening the survival of sea turtles due to mortality associated with the extensive damage that can be caused by tumors (Duarte et al. 2012). FP is a disease characterized by the presence of one or more potentially debilitating tumors (external and/or internal), affecting mainly juvenile turtles (Work et al. 2003). Although most tumors appear to be benign, their size, location and number can impair basic functions such as swimming, vision, feeding and respiration, and may cause malfunction of internal organs (Foley et al. 2005). According to Herbst (1994), turtles with tumors also are more susceptible to entanglement in fishing nets than those without tumors.

Considering the alarming increase in the incidence of cutaneous FP in green turtles worldwide, blood profiles of healthy and sick individuals from different regions have been analyzed as an attempt to assess the possible causes and consequences of FP (Aguirre et al. 1995; Work & Balazs 1999; Aguirre & Balazs 2000; Swimmer 2000; Rossi et al. 2009). In this context, hematology and blood biochemistry are considered useful diagnostic tools to assess and monitor the health and physical condition of turtles (Aguirre & Balazs 2000; Labrada-Martagón et al. 2010). These tools have been employed as indicators of physiological disturbances associated with a variety of diseases (Swimmer 2000; Whiting et al. 2007), stress (Knotková et al. 2005), and exposure to contaminants (Keller et al. 2004).

Changes in several physiological and biochemical parameters have been reported to be associated with FP in green turtles. They include anemia, immunosuppression, hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, hypoglycemia, uremia, electrolyte imbalance, increased activity of liver enzymes, low levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, propensity to acquire systemic bacterial infections, and alterations in the number of white blood cells (Foley et al. 2005; Work & Balazs 1999; Aguirre & Balazs 2000; Santos et al. 2015). Furthermore, previous studies have reported a relationship between the hematological status of turtles and the severity of tumors (Work & Balazs 1999; Santos et al. 2015). According to Balazs (1991), tumor scores reflect the spectrum of severity of FP in green turtles. In advanced stages of the disease, clinical tests usually indicate acidosis, imbalance in the ratio between calcium and phosphorus concentrations, anaemia, hypoproteinemia paralleled by hypoglobulinemia and hypoalbuminemia, hypoglycemia, uremia, and increased activity of liver enzymes (Aguirre et al. 1995; Work & Balazs 1999; Aguirre & Balazs 2000; Santos et al. 2015). Immunosuppression may also occur paralleled by bacteremia (Work et al. 2001, 2003).

However, these reported alterations are generalized responses to stressors and clear evidence of a primary response that could be

used as a reliable biomarker of FP in green turtles is still lacking. This is likely because blood parameters in sea turtles can be affected by several intrinsic and extrinsic factors (Aguirre et al. 1995). For example, the wide reference ranges for many biochemistry markers reported in green turtles with FP could be associated with factors such as gender or body size of the specimens, both of which are known to affect biochemistry. Previous studies have been performed on individuals of both sexes and of a wide range of body sizes (Work & Balazs 1999; Aguirre & Balazs 2000;), which could hamper the identification of a potential and reliable biomarker of the disease.

The coastal zone of the southern Atlantic Ocean is an important feeding area and habitat for the development of juvenile green turtles. In Brazil, the first case of FP in green turtles was reported in 1986 by the Marine Turtle (TAMAR) Project (Baptistotte et al. 2005). Since then, an increase in the prevalence of the disease has been reported in several studies across the TAMAR project region. For example, Mehnert et al. (2001) reported an increase along the Brazilian coast between 1990 and 1999 and the prevalence of FP in juvenile green turtles from the Ubatuba coastal region of Brazil rose from 0 to 24% in the 12 years from 1986 to 1998 (Rossi et al. 2009).

The aim of the present study is to identify a primary biochemical response that could be used as a potential biomarker of FP for use in future evaluation and monitoring of health status of immature and juvenile green turtles found in coastal waters of the southern Atlantic Ocean.

Green turtles were captured using purse seine and scuba diving activities from January 2011 to March 2012 in the TAMAR Project area (23°26’S, 45°05’W, Ubatuba, São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil). The turtles that ended up trapped in the purse seines were used in the study; in addition, turtles were captured swimming freely to complete the sampling. Turtles were transferred to the TAMAR Project facilities for blood sample collection and physical examination, as described below. Blood samples (5 ‒ 10 ml) of 36 green turtles (C. mydas) were collected by puncture of the dorsal cervical sinus using disposable 10-ml syringes with 25 x 7-gauge needles. This procedure is considered a minimally invasive technique (Owens & Ruiz 1980). Blood samples were immediately transferred to harvesting tubes without anticoagulant. All procedures were performed under a permit of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment (permit # 25829-2 SisBio/ICMBio/MMA).

After blood sampling, each turtle was subjected to a visual examination, including evaluation of general physical condition and the presence of external FP tumors. Therefore, the presence of internal tumors in green turtles assessed as clinically normal cannot be ruled out. Considering that levels of hematological and serum biochemical parameters may differ according to the severity of the tumors (Santos et al. 2015; Hirama et al. 2014), green turtles


were grouped and analyzed according to this condition (score 0: non-afflicted with FP; score 1: lightly afflicted with FP; score 2: moderately afflicted with FP; and score 3: heavily afflicted with FP), as described by Work & Balazs (1999).

After visual examination, curved carapace length (CCL; to the nearest 0.1 cm) was measured. Green turtles were then tagged on their front flippers, using metal Inconel style flipper tags provided by the TAMAR Project, placed in the center of the first or second scale proximal to the body of the turtle; turtle’s with FP score 0 were immediately released close to the site of capture. Individuals afflicted with FP had their tumors removed surgically and were maintained for some time for observation and recovery. Once deemed sufficiently recovered, they were released near their site of capture.

Immediately after collection, sampled blood was divided into 2 tubes, one with heparin and one without anticoagulant. Whole blood was transferred to duplicate microcapillary tubes and centrifuged for 5 min using a microhematocrit centrifuge (Spin 1000, Microspin, Brazil). Hematocrit value was expressed as the average percentage value observed between the two hematocrit capillary tubes. Heparinized blood was used for the total leukocyte (WBC) and red blood cells (RBC) counts, which were performed using a Neubauer chamber. For each sample, two blood smears were also prepared, one fixed in methanol, and one stained with Wright-Giemsa stain (Campbell 2014). Differential leukocyte counting (heterophil, lymphocyte, eosinophil and monocyte) was performed manually; cells were identified using data reported in the literature regarding the morphology of sea turtle cells (Casal & Orós 2007; Zhang et al. 2011; Acevedo et al. 2012).

Immediately after the hematocrit analysis, the remainder of the whole blood was centrifuged at 1,800 x g for 5 min (Centribio 80-2B, Centribio, China). There was no visual evidence of hemolysis. Serum obtained was transferred into cryogenic vials kept on dry ice, transferred to the laboratory, and stored in an ultrafreezer (-80 °C) until analysis.

Serum biochemical parameters analyzed included cortisol, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, urea, creatinine, total protein, albumin, globulin, bilirubin (total, direct and indirect), sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, calcium, and phosphorus concentration, as well as alanine aminotransferase (ALT),

aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) activity. Additionally, serum testosterone concentration was measured for sex identification (Bolten & Bjorndal 1992; Owens 1997).

Commercial reagent kits used to perform the serum biochemistry analyses were purchased from Labtest Diagnóstica (Lagoa Santa, MG, Brazil) and Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Analyses were performed using a flame photometer (Micronal, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil), an automated Roche Cobas Mira Classic Chemistry Analyzer (Roche Molecular Systems, Branchburg, NJ, USA) and a microplate reader (Victor, PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, USA).

For all parameters, data were expressed as X ±SE. For each parameter, data normality was checked by the normal probability plot of raw residuals while homogeneity of variances was verified using the Cochran C test. Data on CCL, hematocrit, eosinophils, basophils, glucose, uric acid, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, ALT, ALP, GGT, CK, LDH, and HMGR were mathematically transformed (decimal logarithmic transformation) to meet the analysis of variance (ANOVA) assumptions (data normality and homogeneity of variances). Mean values for all parameters were compared using one-way ANOVA followed by the Fisher LSD test. In all cases, the significance level adopted was 95% (α = 0.05). Mean values of HMGR activity and serum cholesterol concentration were significantly different among the groups of green turtles. Therefore, they were subjected to the Product-Moment correlation analysis. In all cases, the significance level adopted was 5% (α = 0.05) (Sokal & Rohlf 1995).

Among the 36 green turtles sampled, 31 individuals (CCL = 40.3 ±1.6 cm; BM = 8.8 ±1.3 kg) showed serum testosterone concentration <10 pg/ml and were considered as being females (Bolten & Bjorndal 1992; Owens 1997). The CCL of these individuals ranged from 29.3 to 62.0 cm, which is in the range of sizes for immature and juvenile green turtles. Among the 31 green turtles analyzed in the present study, 14 individuals were non-afflicted with FP (score 0; CCL = 36.8 ±1.2 cm) while 17 green turtles had FP (external tumors). Among those with FP, 5 green turtles were lightly afflicted with FP (score 1; CCL = 47.1

Tumor scoreParameter 0 (n = 14) 1 (n = 5) 2 (n = 5) 3 (n = 7)

Hematocrit (%) 27.3 ± 2.1a 28.2 ± 2.6a 18.0 ± 4.0a 20.8 ± 3.6a

RBC (x 103/mm3) 363.0 ± 29.1a 380.4 ± 53.1a 488.0 ± 107.0a 409.4 ± 128.8a

WBC (x 103/mm3) 12.9 ± 2.1a 11.2 ± 3.5a 14.7 ± 8.4a 10.6 ± 1.8a

Heterophils (%) 53.7 ± 7.6a 50.4 ± 6.5a 33.3 ± 5.1a 46.0 ± 11.8a

Lymphocytes (%) 34.8 ± 6.3a 38.8 ± 6.2a 53.2 ± 6.3a 34.2 ± 9.6a

Eosinophils (%) 6.8 ± 3.8a 4.4 ± 2.0a 5.0 ± 2.0a 14.2 ± 9.6a

Monocytes (%) 2.7 ± 0.8a 4.8 ± 0.9a 5.2 ± 0.9a 4.0 ± 1.8a

Basophils (%) 2.2 ± 1.2a 2.2 ± 1.7a 3.3 ± 1.4a 1.6 ± 1.6a

Table 1. Hematological parameters in juvenile female green sea turtles with and without fibropapillomatosis (FP). Individuals were collected in coastal waters of the southern Atlantic Ocean (Ubatuba, southeastern Brazil) from January 2011 to March 2012. They were grouped according to the severity of tumors. Data are expressed as X±SE, with sample size in parentheses. Same letters indicate mean values are not significantly different (p<0.05).


Tumor scoreParameter 0 (n = 14) 1 (n = 5) 2 (n = 5) 3 (n = 7)

Cortisol (µg/dL) 0.46 ± 0.06a 0.40 ± 0.00a 0.40 ± 0.00a 0.40 ± 0.00a

Glucose (mg/dL) 88.4 ± 8.3a 74.6 ± 7.8a 95.2 ± 14.3a 86.3 ± 10.5a

Cholesterol (mg/dL) 153.1 ± 17.4a 141.3 ± 22.9a 68.8 ± 16.0b 69.3 ± 15.8bTriglycerides (mg/dL) 53.1 ± 7.3a 57.0 ± 8.1a 45.0 ± 6.6b 44.7 ± 5.4a

Uric acid (mg/dL) 0.94 ± 0.17a 0.94 ± 0.29a 0.94 ± 0.38a 0.81 ± 0.23a

Urea (mg/dL) 65.1 ± 14.1a 51.8 ± 20.1a 90.6 ± 19.2a 86.7 ± 20.9a

Creatinine (mg/dL) 0.39 ± 0.06a 0.35 ± 0.06a 0.48 ± 0.07a 0.34 ± 0.03a

Protein (g/dL) 2.62 ± 0.28a 3.25 ± 0.41a 2.71 ± 0.56a 2.61 ± 0.44a

Albumin (g/dL) 1.22 ± 0.13a 1.25 ± 0.11a 0.97 ± 0.14a 1.04 ± 0.14a

Globulin (g/dL) 1.41 ± 0.20a 2.02 ± 0.55a 1.74 ± 0.44a 1.57 ± 0.31a

Total bilirubin (mg/dL) 0.067 ± 0.006a 0.073 ± 0.015a 0.052 ± 0.005a 0.051 ± 0.010a

Direct bilirubin (mg/dL) 0.028 ± 0.003a 0.022 ± 0.004a 0.022 ± 0.004a 0.019 ± 0.003a

Indirect bilirubin (mg/dL) 0.039 ± 0.004a 0.051 ± 0.012a 0.030 ± 0.003a 0.033 ± 0.007a

Sodium (mEq/L) 156.1 ± 3.1a 144.4 ± 8.7a 145.4 ± 2.4a 148.1 ± 3.8a

Potassium (mEq/L) 4.06 ± 0.17a 4.30 ± 0.35a 4.08 ± 0.44a 3.96 ± 0.13a

Magnesium (mg/dL) 3.97 ± 0.23a 4.74 ± 0.32a 3.92 ± 0.34a 4.86 ± 0.37a

Chloride (mEq/L) 119.0 ± 3.6a 110.8 ± 6.9a 110.6 ± 2.7a 113.1 ± 4.9a

Calcium (mg/dL) 6.28 ± 0.32a 6.64 ± 0.25a 7.32 ± 0.45a 6.04 ± 0.72a

Phosphorus (mg/dL) 6.34 ± 0.41a 6.97 ± 1.20a 7.35 ± 0.20a 6.66 ± 0.19a

Table 2. Serum biochemical parameters in juvenile female green sea turtles with and without fibropapillomatosis (FP). Individuals were collected in coastal waters of the southern Atlantic Ocean (Ubatuba, southeastern Brazil) from January 2011 to March 2012. They were grouped according to the severity of tumors. Data are expressed as X±SE, with sample size in parentheses. Same letters indicate mean values are not significantly different (p<0.05).

Tumor ScoreParameter 0 (n = 14) 1 (n = 5) 2 (n = 5) 3 (n = 7)AST (U/L) 110.4 ± 14.8a 90.6 ± 19.8a 74.4 ± 24.6a 96.7 ± 22.7a

ALT (U/L) 14.4 ± 1.0a 12.6 ± 1.0a 12.8 ± 0.37a 16.0 ± 2.1a

ALP (U/L) 21.9 ± 4.6a 12.0 ± 3.0a 16.0 ± 8.0a 16.4 ± 4.0a

GGT (U/L) 4.71 ± 1.66a 1.00 ± 0.32a 1.20 ± 0.49a 2.3 ± 1.1a

CK (U/L) 1598.4 ± 496.7a 468.4 ± 149.0a 859.2 ± 257.6a 776.0 ± 257.6a

LDH (U/L) 396.8 ± 127.6a 150.2 ± 43.3a 228.6 ± 70.9a 174.6 ± 66.0a

HMGR (U/mg protein) 1.63 ± 0.20a 0.70 ± 0.26b 0.73 ± 0.10b 0.89 ± 0.16b

Table 3. Serum enzyme activity in juvenile female green sea turtles with and without fibropapillomatosis (FP). Individuals were collected in coastal waters of the southern Atlantic Ocean (Ubatuba, southeastern Brazil) from January 2011 to March 2012. They were grouped according to the severity of tumors. Data are expressed as X±SE, with sample size in parentheses. Same letters indicate mean values are not significantly different (p<0.05). AST: aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; ALP: alkaline phosphatase; GGT: gamma glutamyl transferase; CK: creatine kinase; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; HMGR: 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase.


±5.7 cm), 5 green turtles were moderately afflicted with FP (score 2; CCL = 37.6 ±2.1 cm), and 7 green turtles were heavily afflicted with FP (score 3; CCL= 44.4 ±4.2 cm). There were no significant differences in CCL among these groups of green turtles.

No significant difference was observed in hematological parameters among the four groups of green turtles analyzed (Table 1). However, green turtles moderately or heavily afflicted with FP showed significantly lower serum cholesterol concentration than those non-afflicted or lightly afflicted with FP (Table 2). Also, green turtles with FP (lightly, moderately and heavily afflicted with FP) had significantly reduced serum HMGR activity respect with those non-afflicted with FP (Table 3). Indeed, a significant and positive correlation was observed between serum HMGR activity and cholesterol concentration (r = 0.48; p = 0.01).

Analysis of blood parameters is a useful tool to evaluate the health condition of turtles, as they can provide information for the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. Furthermore, they have been used as indicators of physiological changes due to illness, stress or exposure to environmental contaminants (Omonona et al. 2011). Therefore, hematological and blood chemistry analyses can be considered important steps in determining the physiological and pathological conditions in turtles (Gelli et al. 2009).

Among all the reported effects, it is worth noting that only 2 out of the 34 parameters analyzed in the present study significantly varied among the groups of green turtles with different tumor scores. In this case, reduced serum HGMR activity and blood serum cholesterol concentration were observed in the green turtles heavily (score 3) or moderately (score 2) afflicted with FP compared with those lightly (score 1) or non-afflicted (score 0) with FP. Furthermore, serum HMGR activity was also lower in green turtles lightly afflicted with FP than in those non-afflicted with FP.

According to Aguirre & Balazs (2000), turtles less than 35 cm are immature and those with CCL within the range of 35 to 65cm are juveniles. This scheme for grouping sea turtles was also adopted by Labrada-Martagón (2010). Therefore, according to this scheme, immature and juvenile female green turtles were evaluated in the present study. Also, based on CCL range, green turtles analyzed in the present study could be considered as post-pelagic juveniles (Santos et al. 2015). In this context, it is worth noting that no significant difference in CCL was observed among the four groups of green turtles analyzed in the present study. Therefore, conditions described above may have minimized the potential high variability in the response of biochemical and physiological parameters which would be associated with intrinsic factors, such as sex and body size (Aguirre et al. 1995; Camacho et al. 2013). Indeed, they could help to explain the discrepancy among our findings and those from previous studies with green turtles with and without FP (Foley et al. 2005; Aguirre et al. 1995; Work & Balazs 1999; Aguirre & Balazs 2000; Santos et al. 2015).

It is important to note that reduced serum cholesterol concentration, as observed in the present study, was also reported for green turtles with FP from other regions (Aguirre et al. 1995; Aguirre & Balazs 2000; Work et al. 2001, 2003). This finding suggests that the observed drop in serum cholesterol concentration may be a primary response of green turtles to FP. In turn, the reduced serum cholesterol concentration may be related to the reduced activity of serum HMGR observed in green turtles

afflicted with FP. Indeed, the level of reduction in serum cholesterol concentration (53.6%) was paralleled by a quite similar reduction (48.5%) in serum HMGR activity. Furthermore, a significant and positive correlation was observed between these two parameters in this study. It is worth noting that HGMR catalyzes the four-electron reduction of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) to coenzyme A (CoA) and mevalonate, which is the rate-limiting step in sterol biosynthesis (Kritchevsky & Kritchevsky 1992; Holdgate et al. 2003). Therefore, an inhibition of serum HMRG activity would induce a lower rate of cholesterol synthesis, thus leading to a reduced level of serum cholesterol, as observed in green turtles with FP evaluated in the present study.

In addition to the influence of the reduced HMGR activity, as discussed above, a higher rate of cholesterol oxidation could also help to explain the lower concentration of serum cholesterol observed in green turtles moderately and heavily afflicted with FP compared with those non-afflicted or lightly afflicted with FP. Some possible causes of a higher rate of cholesterol oxidation would be an excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation (Morin et al. 1991) and/or the oxidative stress induced by exposure to environmental contaminants (Monserrat et al. 2007). Although the current thinking is that FP is associated with a herpesvirus infection (Rodenbusch et al. 2012, 2014), these environmental factors may trigger processes that influence FP expression and lesions (Aguirre et al. 1994; Santos et al. 2010; Van Houtan et al. 2014). Therefore, future studies should address the influence of UV and aquatic contaminants on the rate of cholesterol oxidation in green turtles for a better understanding of FP etiology. In fact, abnormally low concentration of serum cholesterol is reported as being a reliable biomarker of malignancy in humans (Ahn et al. 2009).

In summary, data reported in the present study indicate that reduced serum HMGR activity and cholesterol concentration are adequate and reliable biomarkers of FP in immature and juvenile female green turtles. Further studies are needed to determine whether these biomarkers may also be applied to juvenile male green turtles.Acknowledgments. The authors thank Roberta Vargas (Laboratório Dr. Vargas, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil) and Paloma Calábria Carvalho for laboratory assistance and José Henrique Becker, Max Rondon Werneck, Renato Velloso da Silveira, Antônio Mauro Correa (TAMAR Project, Ubatuba, SP, Brazil) and Lucas Feijó Bianchini (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil) for field assistance. Financial support was provided by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Toxicologia Aquática, grant #573949/2008-5), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Programa Ciências do Mar), and the International Development Research Center (IDCR, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Project #104519-003). CCS was a PhD fellow from the Brazilian CNPq. AB is a fellow from the Brazilian CNPq (grant #304430/2009-9) and is supported by the International Canada Research Chair Program from IDRC. ACEVEDO, L.M.R., S.S.M. BLAS & G. FUENTES-

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Dog Attacks on Loggerhead Turtles Nesting in Greece

Dimitris Margaritoulis, Panagiota Theodorou, Pavlos Tsaros & Polymnia NestoridouARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, Solomou 57, GR-10432 Athens, Greece

(E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected])

Nesting sea turtles may suffer attacks from various land predators such as jackals (Peters et al. 1994), jaguars (Troëng 2000, Arroyo-Arce & Salom-Pérez 2015, Alfaro et al. 2016), coyotes (Drake et al. 2003), and dogs (Caldwell 1959, Santos & Godfrey 2001). As far as can be ascertained, there has never been a documented dog attack on a nesting sea turtle in the Mediterranean. The Greek NGO ARCHELON has conducted morning and night surveys on nesting beaches of Greece since the beginning of 1980s. Although stray dogs and foxes regularly visit nesting beaches to predate on turtle eggs or hatchlings, we had never recorded a dog attack on a nesting turtle, until recently in Kyparissia Bay, Greece.

During the nesting seasons of 2014 and 2015, adult female loggerhead turtles were found severely injured at the nesting area of southern Kyparissia Bay, western Peloponnese. In recent years, this 9.5km nesting beach hosts what is considered to be the largest nesting loggerhead aggregation in the Mediterranean (Margaritoulis et al. 2015).

The injured turtles were encountered mostly during the night surveys, when individual nesting females are tagged and measured. Injured turtles bore severe wounds on both front limbs at the shoulder area. The skin in this area was torn off and the muscles eaten by the dogs, exposing the bones. In one case, an injured turtle was found on the beach, during a morning survey, unable to move due to its severe injuries (Fig. 1). Identification of dogs

as the attacking animals was initially deduced from their tracks in the sand. Subsequently, during a night survey a pack of three stray dogs was directly observed attacking a nesting turtle. It should be noted that no golden jackals (Canis aureus), a known predator of adult turtles in the Mediterranean (Peters et al. 1994), exist in this area (Giannatos et al. 2005).

Examination of dog tracks and blood stains on sand along the turtles’ crawls indicated that the attacks occurred mostly during the procedure of digging or egg-laying. In 2014, 12 individual turtles were found injured by dogs, seven of which were transported to ARCHELON’s Rescue Centre (RC) in Glyfada (Fig. 2), three turtles were treated locally and released, and the remaining two turtles died on site before transport to the RC. All seven turtles admitted to the RC were eventually released following varying rehabilitation durations. The total number of injured turtles was certainly more than the 12 found, as blood stains were observed on the sand along several other turtle nesting crawls, as well as during night surveys several turtles were observed bearing partly healed bite marks at the same locations as those attributed to dog attacks.

To counter the threat to nesting turtles from the stray dogs, special night patrols were organized to chase the dogs off the beach. Further, known dog owners near the beach were visited to request that they keep their dogs restrained at night, which all owners reported doing. Moreover, an attempt to catch the stray dogs with

Figure 1. Emergent adult female turtle unable to move due to severe injuries on fore limbs caused by stray dogs on 25 June 2014 in Kyparissia Bay. The turtle did not nest and died on site, before transportation to ARCHELON’s Rescue Centre.


live traps failed. Dog attacks to nesting turtles finally ceased in late July 2014, before the end of the nesting period, suggesting that the stray dogs had left the area.

During the subsequent nesting season (2015) there were also similar attacks, albeit to a lesser extent: one turtle was transported to RC while five other females were treated locally and released after a few days. The reduced number of attacks in 2015 was possibly a result of running special night-patrols from the beginning of the nesting season (2 June) to discourage dogs from attacking nesting turtles. No other incidents were recorded in subsequent seasons, including 2018. Therefore, we conclude that the attacks were inflicted by an occasional group of stray dogs.

Continuous removal of reproductive females may have a severe impact on a sea turtle population (Margaritoulis & Touliatou 2011). However, the relatively low number of attacks compared to the large number of nesting females in this area (>1200 nests/yr in both 2014 and 2015 with no subsequent decline in numbers), as well as the eventual cessation of attacks, indicates that the overall impact of these attacks to the loggerhead population in southern Kyparissia Bay was minimal. Acknowledgements. We thank all ARCHELON volunteers at Kyparissia Bay and at the RC for their dedicated work. We also thank ALan Rees for editorial assistance.ALFARO, L.D., V. MONTALVO, F. GUIMARAES, C. SAENZ, J.

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TROËNG, S. 2000. Predation of green (Chelonia mydas) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles by jaguar (Panthera onca) at Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica. Chelonian Conservation & Biology 3: 751-753.

Figure 2. Loggerhead turtle, injured by dogs while nesting on 30 June 2014 in Kyparissia Bay, is prepared for transportation to ARCHELON’s Rescue Centre.


Figure 1. Sea turtle areas of occurrence within the limits of the APA Algodoal-Maiandeua. Inset maps show the overall location of the protected area in relation to Para State Coast.

Sea Turtle Records at the Environmental Protection Area of Algodoal-Maiandeua, Para State, Brazil

Beatriz S. Dias1,2,3, Josie Figueredo Barbosa3 & Adrian Jordaan1

1University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Environmental Conservation, Fish, Wildlife & Conservation Biology, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA, 01003 USA (E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]);

2CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília-DF, 70040-020, Brazil; 3NAEA-Nucleo de Altos Estudos Amazonicos, Federal University of Para. Av. Perimetral no. 1, Guama, Belem-PA, 66075-750, Brazil (E-mail: [email protected])

The Para State Coast, in Northern Brazil, is well known for its dynamic environment and high primary productivity as the Amazon and Tocantins Rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean (de Matos & Lucena 2006). Despite fishermen reports of sea turtle occurrence along the coast (Brito et al. 2015), there is a lack of documentation and publications regarding sea turtles in the area. The same dynamic features that makes this region unique, also present a challenge for access to remote regions of the littoral zone.

Previous telemetry studies have reported the use of Para state coast as a transit and forage area by post-nesting green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas (Baudouin et al. 2015; Chambault et al. 2015), loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta (Marcovaldi et al. 2010), hawksbill-loggerhead hybrids, Eretmochelys imbricata and Caretta caretta (Marcovaldi et al. 2012), and olive ridley turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea (Silva et al. 2011). All these observations highlight the importance of sea turtle monitoring efforts in the area.

Here we report sea turtle data collected over two years of sporadic monitoring of the Environmental Protection Area of Algodoal-Maiandeua (APA Algodoal-Maiandeua), located in the Maracana municipality. We visited the island on five occasions between 2013

and 2014, collecting data on nesting activity, bycatch and recording sea turtle carcasses (Table 1, Fig. 1). All data were first reported by fishermen and confirmed by us in situ.

We received the first call reporting a nesting activity on 16 March 2013. We monitored the nest on four occasions: recently after egg laying; mid-development; around the predicted day of emergence; and the day of emergence (Fig. 2). After emergence, we confirmed that the nest was laid by a hawksbill turtle, with a total of 135 live hatchlings, four dead in the nest and 35 unhatched eggs, among them 10 eggs with fungus.

We also observed two live juvenile green sea turtles during the second and third trips to monitor the hawksbill nest. The turtles were caught in different fishing weirs (Fig. 3), and brought to shore, where we collected morphometric data (Table 1, Fig. 3). The turtles were released immediately after the data collection, into areas adjacent to where they were caught.

During the last trip in June 2014, we also visited the village of Fortalezinha, located on the southeast portion of the Island. On this visit we documented and measured five preserved sea turtle carapaces. They were reported as having stranded on the shore


Figure 2. Princesa Beach hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) nest monitoring stages. a) nest monitored 2 days after deposition. b) full view of the nest location. c) mid-nest development monitoring. d-f) day of emergence.

Figure 3. Juvenile green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) caught in local weirs during the 3rd and 4th visits to monitor the hawksbill nest. a-c) Juvenile sea turtle captured on 13 April 2013. d-f) Juvenile sea turtle captured on 05 May 2013.

Code DateGeneral location Lat. Long. Sp. CCL CCW State Development

ALG15MAR13-01 15-Mar-13 Princesa -0.581 -47.575 Ei NA NA alive Adult/nestALG13ABR13-01 13-Apr-13 Weir -0.578 -47.589 Cm 34 30 alive JuvenileALG05MAY13-01 5-May-13 Weir -0.595 -47.591 Cm 33.5 31 alive JuvenileALG05JUN14-01 5-Jun-14 Fortalezinha -0.624 -47.540 Cm 46.7 43.6 shell JuvenileALG05JUN14-02 5-Jun-14 Fortalezinha -0.624 -47.540 Cm 32.5 29.5 shell JuvenileALG05JUN14-03 5-Jun-14 Fortalezinha -0.624 -47.540 Cm 34.2 30 shell JuvenileALG05JUN14-04 5-Jun-14 Fortalezinha -0.624 -47.540 Cm 37.7 33.3 shell JuvenileALG05JUN14-05 5-Jun-14 Fortalezinha -0.624 -47.540 Cm 37 33.9 shell Juvenile

ALG06JUN14-01 6-Jun-14 Furo Velho -0.588 -47.587 Cm NA NA head Adult or subadult

Table 1. Sea turtle records at APA Algodoal-Maiandeua. Sp. = Species, Ei = Eretmochelys imbricata, Cm = Chelonia mydas, CCL= curved carapace length (cm), CCW= curved carapace width (cm).

a

c

e

b

d

f

a b

c

d e

f


in the surrounding area, however the exact date they were found remains unknown (Fig. 4a-e). Other evidence of green sea turtle remains was reported by a local fisherman during our last visit to the island in 2014. He reported that a carcass was found near the Furo Velho tidal channel (Fig. 1). However, he only saved the head, which based on its size, we estimated to come from a subadult or adult green sea turtle (Fig. 4f).

The present note provides evidence of sea turtle presence in APA Algodoal-Maiandua in Para state. It is important to recognize that this monitoring effort was entirely self-funded, which resulted in punctuated and non-standardized sampling occasions. We would like to raise awareness regarding the presence of sea turtles within the APA Algodoal-Maiandeua protected area, and urge that studies be carried out to understand the complexity of use of the area by sea turtles of distinct species and life stages. Improving research and monitoring will allow a better accounting of the uses of this protected area for nesting and foraging and inform conservation efforts within the region.

Acknowledgements. This work could not have been done without the support of the local fishermen and business owners: Anderson and Renata Texeira, Mr. Damião Rodrigues Texeira, Pablo and Renato, thank you for sharing knowledge and collaborating with the first steps of this ongoing life project. We thank the GEMAM group, Renata Emim, Maura Sousa and Bruna Lima for the time and help with logistics. We also thank Dra. Daniely Félix-Silva, who were essential for the first steps of this project. The data presented in this note were approved by Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation under SISBIO permits #17029 and #38300.BAUDOUIN, M., B. DE THOISY, P. CHAMBAULT, R.

BERZINS, M. ENTRAYGUES & L. KELLE. 2015. Identification of key marine areas for conservation based on satellite tracking of post-nesting migrating green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Biological Conservation 184: 36-41.

BRITO, T.P., A.N.D. DE OLIVEIRA, D.A.C. DA SILVA & J.A.D.S. ROCHAS. 2015. Conhecimento ecológico e captura incidental de tartarugas marinhas em São João de Pirabas, Pará, Brasil. Biotemas 28: 159.

CHAMBAULT, P., D. PINAUD, V. VANTREPOTTE, L. KELLE, M. ENTRAYGUES & C. GUINET. 2015. Dispersal and diving adjustments of the green turtle Chelonia mydas in response to dynamic environmental conditions during post-nesting migration. PLoS ONE 10(9): e0137340.

MARCOVALDI, M.Â., G.G. LOPEZ, L.S. SOARES, E.H.S.M. LIMA, J.C.A. THOMÉ & A.P. ALMEIDA. 2010. Satellite-tracking of female loggerhead turtles highlights fidelity behavior in northeastern Brazil. Endangered Species Research 12: 263-272.

Figure 4. Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) remains from two different locations on the island. a-e) Juvenile green sea turtle carapaces. f) Subadult or adult green sea turtle head with preserved skin tissue. MARCOVALDI, M.Â., G.G. LOPEZ, L.S. SOARES & M. LÓPEZ-

MENDILAHARSU. 2012. Satellite tracking of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata nesting in northern Bahia, Brazil: turtle movements and foraging destinations. Endangered Species Research 17: 123-132.

DE MATOS, I.P. & F. LUCENA. 2006. Description of the fishery of acoupa weakfish, Cynoscion acoupa, off Para State. Arquivos de Ciencia do Mar, Fortaleza 39: 66-73.

SILVA, A.C.C.D., E.A.P. SANTOS, F.L.C. OLIVEIRA, M.I. WEBER, J.A.F. BATISTA & T.Z. SERAFINI. 2011. Satellite-tracking reveals multiple foraging strategies and threats for olive ridley turtles in Brazil. Marine Ecology Progress Series 443: 237-247.

a

a b c

d e f


Strandings of Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea Eschscholtz, 1829 from the Coastal Waters of the United Arab Emirates

Fadi YaghmourHefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre (Scientific Research Department), Environment and Protected Areas Authority,

Kalba Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (E-mail: [email protected])

The olive ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea Eschscholtz, 1829 is one of seven extant species of marine turtles and one of two species of the Lepidochelys genus (Limpus 2008; Manire et al. 2017). This genus consists of the smallest marine turtle species and its members are unique in having a pore on each of the four pairs of inframarginal scutes (Marcovaldi 2001). The anatomical differences between Lepidochelys olivacea and Lepidochelys kempii include differences in jaw morphology and head size; the olive ridley having the smaller head and its carapace having 6-10 pairs of lateral scutes (Marcovaldi 2001; Marquez 1990; Manire et al. 2017). The Kemp’s ridley geographic distribution is limited to the Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic basin while olive ridleys occur all through the tropical oceans (Pritchard 1969; Manire et al. 2017).

Olive ridley sea turtles have been reported to occur in both neritic and oceanic zones. Excluding the Gulf of Mexico, they nest throughout tropical waters in approximately 60 countries, however, their migrations are less understood (Pritchard 1969; Bowen et al. 1997; www.redlist.org). Their migratory routes comprise tropical and subtropical zones: northwest, eastern central, southwest, western central Pacific Ocean; northeast, northwest, eastern central, southeast, southwest, western central Atlantic Ocean; and eastern, western Indian Ocean (Pritchard 1969; Abreu-Grobois & Plotkin 2008; Manire et al. 2017).

In the Western Indian Ocean, olive ridleys have been observed in the waters of Mozambique, Somalia, Madagascar, South Africa, Kenya, Maldives, Pakistan, India, Iran and Oman (Abreu-Grobois & Plotkin 2008). In Oman, olive ridleys are known to nest at Masirah Island (Rees et al. 2012). In the Arabian Gulf, olive ridley turtles were first recorded in 2003 by Bishop et al. (2007) in the coastal waters of Kuwait, and has since been observed in the coastal waters of Iran (Qeshm Island, Larak Island, Bushehr town, Kharg Island) and Bahrain (Abdulqaader & Miller 2012; Rees et al. 2012; Tollab et al. 2015). Furthermore, in May 2013, an olive ridley female was recorded nesting for the first time in the Arabian Gulf at Nayband Marine-Coastal National Park, Iran (Tollab et al. 2015).

Published records of olive ridley sea turtles in the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates are rare on both the western (Arabian Gulf) and eastern (Gulf of Oman) coasts. In the Gulf of Oman, satellite tracking has revealed that, during their northern post nesting migrations from Masirah Island, some olive ridleys will settle for lengthy periods in waters of Pakistan, Iran and the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates (Rees et al. 2012). There is one stranding record from the Arabian Gulf coast of Dubai involving the rescue, rehabilitation and release of an olive ridley by the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (www.jumeirah.com). Additionally, there were two observations from the

Arabian Gulf Coast of Abu Dhabi (EAD 2016), one unpublished stranding observation from the Arabian Gulf coast of Ras Al Khaima (J. Judas, personal communication, 21 May 2018) and one unpublished live observation from the Gulf of Oman coast of Fujairah (www.youtube.com/watch?v=89klrwJxJJ0). Here we present four additional records of olive ridley sea turtles from the eastern and western coasts of the United Arab Emirates.

In 2012, marine turtle skeletal remains were discovered on the beach of the Alqurm Wa Lehhfaiiah Protected Area (25.000297 °N; 56.370867 °E) in the city of Kalba, Emirate of Sharjah (J. Pereira, personal communication, 4 April 2019). The skull of that turtle was collected and stored with the EPAA research department (Fig.1A). The turtle was identified as an olive ridley sea turtle due to the morphology of its skull and beak (rhamphotheca). The skull is triangular shaped with deep parietal notches. The beak (both upper and lower) is pointed with the upper having a wide plate and sharp edged alveolar surface and the lower has a sharp wide ridge alongside the buccal margin (Wyneken 2001).

The second specimen was recorded on 13 August 2017 on the beach of Alqurm Wa Lehhfaiiah Protected Area (Fig.1B). The specimen was observed to be a condition code 2 (Wyneken 2001; Poppi & Marchiori 2012). It had a minimum curved carapace length (CCL) of 58.7 cm and its morphology was consistent with that of an olive ridley sea turtle: 4 prefrontal scutes (Fig. 2A), a horny beak (Fig. 2B), one precentral scute that touches the anterior central scute and the two anterior lateral scutes (Fig. 2C), carapace with scutes that do not overlap (Figs. 2D, 2E), four inframarginal scutes with pores (Figs. 2F, 2G), a semi-circular carapace (Fig. 2H), six central scutes (Fig. 2I), and eight lateral scutes (Fig. 2J). The specimen was observed to have some damage to the left posterior margins of the carapace consistent with a boat strike. Damage was also observed at the right lateral area of the inframarginal scutes.

The third specimen was discovered on 25 March 2019. A stranded sea turtle was discovered on the beach of Sir Bu Na’ir Island (GPS: 25. 226239 °N, 54.218424 °E) in the Arabian Gulf coast of the UAE (Fig. 1C). The specimen was observed to be a condition code 3. Its CCL was 54.6 cm and its morphology was consistent with that of an olive ridley sea turtle. This specimen had no external signs of harmful human interactions. Finally, on 5 August 2019 a stranded olive ridley sea turtle was discovered on the coast of the city of Kalba (GPS: 25.0799223 °N, 56.3606723 °E). The specimen was a condition code 3 and had no external signs of harmful human interactions (Fig. 1B). Its CCL was 60.5 cm.

Marine migrants have essential roles in their ecosystems and many of them are at risk of the impacts of anthropogenic threats (Plotkin 2007). The observation of evidence of harmful human interaction with one of these specimens is unfortunately not


Figure 1. Olive ridley sea turtle strandings from the Sharjah emirate. A: Skull recovered from the beach of the Alqurm Wa Lehhafaiiah Protected Area in 2012. B: Stranding discovered on the beach of the Alqurm Wa Lehhafaiiah Protected Area on 13 August 2017 (Photo: Ahmed Al Mazmi 2017). C: Stranding discovered on the beach of Sir Bu Na’ir Island on 25 March 2019 (photo: Mohammed Saif 2019). D: Stranding discovered on the beach of Kalba on 5 August 2019.

Figure 2. Olive ridley sea turtle stranding species diagnosis. A: Four prefrontal scutes. B: Horny beak. C: Precentral scute that touches the anterior central scute and both anterior lateral scutes. D: lateral side of specimen. E: Scutes not overlapping. F: An unedited photo of the inframarginal scutes on the ventral lateral region of the sea turtle. G: A highlighted copy of F showing marginal scutes, axilliary scutes, four inframarginal scutes with pores, and damaged areas of the plastron. H: Top view of the specimen showing an almost circular carapace. I: Six central scutes. J: Eight lateral scutes.


surprising as previous studies suggest that marine turtles in the United Arab Emirates are interacting at an increasing frequency with a variety of anthropogenic threats (Fowler et al. 2007; EAD 2016; Farkas et al. 2017; Sinaei & Bolouki 2017; Yaghmour et al. 2018a,b). Despite being the most numerous sea turtle species, olive ridleys are categorized as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN (www.redlist.org) and are protected throughout its range under CITES, Appendix I (Manire et al. 2017). For effective conservation outcomes to be achieved, sufficient knowledge of their spatial and temporal ecology is needed (Colman et al. 2014). This paper contributes to documenting the occurrence of this species in the United Arab Emirates, where information on this species is scarce.Acknowledgements. The author expresses his gratitude for the support of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The author would also like to acknowledge the support of her Excellency Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, chairperson of Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority, Marine Sustainability Departmant manager Abdulaziz Al Suwaidi, EPAA Kalba Office Manager Dalal Al Yammahi and, EPAA Khorfakkan office manager Awatef Al Naqbi. Finally, I thank EPAA researchers Marwa Al Bousi, John Pereira, Aisha Saqer and Halima al Naqbi, EPAA administrator Hazza Al Qayidi, EPAA rangers Ahmed Al- Mazmi and Ali Al Kindi, EPAA volunteer Mohammed Saif and Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife veterinarians Jane Budd and Soledad García-Nuñez for their operational support. ABDULQAADER, E. & J. MILLER. 2012. Marine turtle mortalities

in Bahrain territorial waters. Chelonian Conservation & Biology 11: 133-138.

ABREU-GROBOIS, A. & P. PLOTKIN. 2008. Lepidochelys olivacea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T11534A3292503

BISHOP, J., T. DESHTI & S. AL-AYOUB. 2007. The Arabian Gulf’s first record of the olive ridley, Lepidochelys olivacea, from Kuwait. Zoology in the Middle East 42: 102-103.

BOWEN, B., A. CLARK, F. ABREU-GROBIOS, A. CHAVES & H. REICHART. 1997. Global phylogeography of the ridely sea turtles (Lepidochelys spp.) as inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences. Genetica 101: 179-189.

COLMAN, L., C. SAMPAIO, M. WEBER & J. DE CASTILHOS. 2014. Diet of olive ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea, in the waters of Sergipe, Brazil. Chelonian Conservation & Biology 13: 266-271.

EAD. 2016. Biodiversity Annual Report 2016: Status of Marine Turtle Conservation in Abu Dhabi Emirate. Environment Agency Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi, UAE. 38p.

FARKAS, B., B. BUZÁS, E. GULYÁS & N. MAURY. 2017. A leatherback turtle found off Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Marine Turtle Newsletter 154: 15-16.

FOWLER, S., V. JEAN-PIERRE, E. WYSE, B. JUPP & S. DE MORA. 2007. Temporal survey of petroleum hydrocarbons, organochlorinated compounds and heavy metals in benthic marine organisms from Dhofar, southern Oman. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54: 339-367.

LIMPUS, C. 2008. A Biological Review of Australian Marine Turtles: 4. Olive Ridley Turtle Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz). Queensland Environmental Protection Agency: Queensland. 26p.

MANIRE, C., T. NORTON, B. STACY, C. INNIS & C.A. HARMS. 2017. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation. J. Ross Publishing: Plantation, FL USA. 1045p.

MARCOVALDI, M.Â. 2001. Status and distribution of the olive ridley turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, in the western Atlantic Ocean. In: Eckert, K.A. & F.A. Abreu Grobois (Eds.). Proceedings of the Regional Meeting: “Marine Turtle Conservation in the Wider Caribbean Region: A Dialogue for Effective Regional Management.” WIDECAST, IUCN-MTSG, WWF, and UNEP-CEP. pp. 53-56.

MARQUEZ, R. 1990. Sea Turtles of the World. FAO Species Catalogue, FAO Fisheries Synopsis, Rome. Volume 11, no. 125. 81p.

PLOTKIN, P. 2007. Biology and Conservation of Ridley Sea Turtles. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore. 368p.

POPPI, L., & E. MARCHIORI. 2012 Standard protocol for post-mortem examination on sea turtles. Technical Report, IPA Adriatic Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. 35p.

PRITCHARD, P.C.H. 1969. Studies of the systematics and reproductive cycles of the genus Lepidochelys. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Florida, Florida, USA. 196p.

REES, A.F. , A. AL-KYUMI, A.C. BRODERICK, N. PAPATHANASOPOULOU & B.J. GODLEY. 2012. Conservation related insights into the behaviour of the olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea nesting in Oman. Marine Ecology Progress Series 450: 195-205.

SINAEI, M., & M. BOLOUKI. 2017. Metals in blood and eggs of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from nesting colonies of the northern coast of the Sea of Oman. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 73: 552-561.

TOLLAB, M., M. DAKHTEH, G. ZAFERANI, M. HESNI, F. AHMADI, M. LANGARI, Z. ALAVIAN & M. REZAIE-ATAGHOLIPOUR. 2015. The olive ridley turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, in the Persian Gulf: a review of the observations, including the first nesting of the species in the area. Chelonian Conservation & Biology 142: 192-196.

WYNEKEN, J. 2001. The Anatomy of Sea Turtles. NOAA Tech Memo NMFS-SEFSC-470.

YAGHMOUR, F., M. AL BOUSI, B. WHITTINGTON-JONES, J. PEREIRA, S. GARCÍA-NUÑEZ & J. BUDD. 2018a. Marine debris ingestion of green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, (Linnaeus, 1758) from the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates. Marine Pollution Bulletin 135: 55-61.

YAGHMOUR, F., M. AL BOUSI, B. WHITTINGTON-JONES, J. PEREIRA, S. GARCÍA-NUÑEZ & J. BUDD. 2018b. Impacts of the traditional baited basket fishing trap “gargoor” on green sea turtles Chelonia mydas (Testudines: Cheloniidae) Linnaeus, 1758 from two case reports in the United Arab Emirates. Marine Pollution Bulletin 135: 521-524.


RETOMALA: 25th Annual Meeting of Latin American Sea Turtle Specialists, Charleston, South Carolina, USA - 04 February 2019

Héctor Barrios-Garrido1,2,3,4, Kelly S. Soluri4, Natalia S. Teryda5,6,7 & Juan M. Rguez-Barón8,9

1Grupo de Trabajo en Tortugas Marinas del Golfo de Venezuela (GTTM-GV), Maracaibo, Venezuela; 2La Universidad del Zulia, Centro de Modelado Científico (CMC-LUZ), Maracaibo, Venezuela; 3James Cook University, TropWATER - The Centre for Tropical

Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Queensland, Australia (E-mail: [email protected]); 4Marine Turtle Research, Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University. Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA (E-mail: [email protected]); 5Karumbe NGO, Av. Rivera 3245, C.P.11600, Montevideo, Uruguay; 6Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; 7School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA (E-mail: [email protected]); 8JUSTSEA Foundation, Carrera 13 No. 152-80, Torre 1, 406. Bogotá,

Colombia (E-mail: [email protected]); 9Biology and Marine Biology Department, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403, USA

REPORTS

As part of the 39th International Sea Turtle Symposium in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, the 25th Latin American Sea Turtle Specialist Meeting, RETOMALA (in Spanish: Reunión de Especialistas Latinoamericanos en Tortugas Marinas), was held on 04 February 2019. Annually, this regional meeting congregates researchers, local leaders, volunteers, community members, and marine turtle advocates who share their findings and experiences in a friendly environment with oral presentations and questions/answers sessions. In this year’s meeting, there were registered 64 attendees from 19 different countries of Latin America and other regions.

The 25th RETOMALA’s aim was to update our status of knowledge about both ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii and L. olivacea) in the Latin American region. Our agenda included 19 talks: one regarding regional status, 13 with national or local level data (Fig. 1), and two regarding regional initiatives (Table 1).

Lepidochelys turtles have long generated worldwide interest, due to their unique nesting behaviour commonly known as “arribadas,” a Spanish term which is defined as “the arrival on land of something that was in the sea” (Real Academia Española, www.rae.es). More recently, our interest in these species has been further raised after inopportune tragic events that have impacted both species: viral videos on social media about the impact of plastic on nesting females of L. olivacea in the Pacific Ocean of Costa Rica (Robinson & Figgener 2015; Robinson et al. 2016), and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, the primary habitat of L. kempii (Putman et al. 2015; Reich et al. 2017).

According to the IUCN’s Red List, L. kempii is categorised as critically endangered and L. olivacea is listed as vulnerable (www.redlist.org). Both species face multiple threats which include habitat loss, by-catch, directed take of individuals for their meat, and harvest of eggs (Valverde & Holzwart 2017). These two latter threats mainly affect L. olivacea populations worldwide. During our meeting, presenters and attendees recognised the necessity of updates in both conservation status and available information of both Ridley’s turtles in the region.

Our meeting started with a short welcome speech from the organisers. Then, the presentation of the “Sea Turtle Male Initiative” presented by Marco Garcia-Cruz, who stressed the importance of RETOMALA as a forum to investigate and document roles and

habitats male marine turtles in the wider Latin American region. Garcia-Cruz also invited our attendees to be part of this worldwide initiative (García-Cruz et al. 2018).

Following this, presentations focused on ridley turtles were given (Table 1). At the end of our meeting, Brad Nahill showed updated results of the campaign “Too Rare to Wear.” The presentation included educational posters, social media impact, and experiences of sharing with tourism providers and services (e.g., AirBnB).

This meeting was the final chapter in the RETOMALA initiative to focus on the current status of particular species in the region. The initiative began in 2012 with a focus on Chelonia mydas (Barreto-Sanchez & Barrios-Garrido 2012); in 2013 the focus was Caretta caretta; in 2016 the focus was Dermochelys coriacea; in 2018 the focus was Eretmochelys imbricata (Barrios-Garrido et al. 2018). We recommend the reassessment of the status of all regional species starting in 5-10 years from now, to facilitate a better understanding of status changes over time.

One innovation from this year’s meeting was live-streaming the presentations through our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/tortugueroslatinos), which allowed us to increase the participation (up to 40 online viewers) from members who could not attend in person but actively participated by direct messages during the questions/answer sessions. Currently, the videos of our meeting have reached more than 2,000 views and they are still available to watch in our web page.

Descriptive summary of presentations in alphabetical order by species:

Lepidochelys spp. Hector Barrios-Garrido presented the Conservation Enforcement Capacity index (CECi) based on both species (Barrios-Garrido 2018). This index may be used to predict the conservation status of the marine turtle species based on socio-economic indicators that may influence the conservation and enforcement capacity of national governments to protect endangered species. Three Regional Management Units (RMUs) were evaluated for this presentation, two for L. olivacea (Eastern Pacific and Western Atlantic) and one for L. kempii (North Western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico). Based on CECi, the East Pacific RMU may be considered threatened in the future using CECi, and the other two RMUs evaluated are likely to be classified as Least Concern in future evaluations by


Title in English Original title (language) Scale of project

Presenters Authors

Welcome to 25th RETOMALA meeting, including aim and dynamic of the meeting

J.M. Rguez-Barón &

H. Barrios-Garrido

J.M. Rguez-Barón &H. Barrios-Garrido

The Global Male Sea Turtle Initiative: adding males to the

conservation equation

Iniciativa Global de Tortugas Macho: sumando los machos a la

ecuación de conservación (S)

Global M. García-Cruz M. García-Cruz

Conservation Enforcement Capacity index: olive and Kemp ridley’s

turtles in Latin America

Índice de Capacidad para la Aplicación de la Conservación: caso tortuga lora y golfina en

Latino América (S)

Latin America

H. Barrios-Garrido

H. Barrios-Garrido & M. Hamann

Lepidochelys kempiiDNA sequences of the COI gene in

Lepidochelys kempiiSecuencias del AND-gen COI en

Lepidochelys kempii (S)México M.A. Reyes-

LopezM.A. Reyes-Lopez

Recovery of the marine turtle, Lepidochelys kempii in Tecolutla,

Veracruz, Mexico

Proceso de recuperación de la Tortuga marina, Lepidochelys kempii en Tecolutla, Veracruz,

México (S)

México M. F. Manzano M. F. Manzanon & I.E. Galván T.

Lepidochelys olivaceaEgg harvesting as conservation tool of olive ridleys at Ostional beach,

Costa Rica

La cosecha de huevos como herramienta de conservación de la tortuga olivácea en playa Ostional,

Costa Rica (S)

Costa Rica R. Valverde R. Valverde, C.M. Orrego & L.G. Fonseca

Conservation of olive ridley turtles on nesting beaches in Nicoya Sur

Peninsula, Costa Rica

Conservación de tortuga lora en las playas de anidación de la Península

de Nicoya Sur, Costa Rica (S)

Costa Rica C. Mejia-Balsalobre

C. Mejías-Balsalobre, D. Rojas-Cañizales, D. Arauz; I. Naranjo &

R. ArauzArribada behaviour of olive ridley

turtles at Ostional beach, Costa RicaEl comportamiento de arribada en las tortugas loras en Playa

Ostional, Costa Rica (S)

Costa Rica V. Bezy V. Bezy

Ecotourism of L. olivacea in Colombia, with special emphasis on El Valle municipality-Bahia Solano

Ecoturismo de L. olivacea en Colombia, con énfasis especial en

el corregimiento de El Valle - Bahía Solano (S)

Colombia J.S. Ayala D. Amorocho & J.S. Ayala

Current status of research and conservation of L. olivacea in

Ecuador

Situación actual de la investigación y conservación de L. olivacea en

Ecuador (S)

Ecuador F. Vallejo F. Vallejo & Equilibrio Azul

Assessment of marine turtle conservation in Guatemala

Análisis situacional de la conservación de tortugas marinas

en Guatemala (S)

Guatemala C. Muccio C. Muccio & ARCAS

Population assessment and base-line study of olive ridley (Lepidochelys

olivacea) health parameters at northern Sinaloa, Mexico

Caracterización poblacional y establecimiento de la línea base

de parámetros de salud de tortuga golfina (Lepidochelys olivacea) en

el norte de Sinaloa, México (S)

Mexico A.A. Zavara-Norazagaray

B.A. Espinoza-Romo, C.P. Ley-Quiñonez, J.C. Sainz-Hernandez, C. Hart, M.A. Reyes-Lopez, F.Y. Camacho-Sanchez, K.A. Zavala-Felix, V. Leal-Sepulveda & A.A.

Zabala-NorzagarayRelationship between teratogenesis, pollutants, and DNA methylation in

olive ridley embryos

Relación entre teratogénesis, contaminantes y metilación del ADN en embriones de tortuga

golfina (S)

Mexico R. Martin del Campo

R. Martin del Campo

Stranding records of L. olivacea in Chile

Registros de varamientos de L. olivacea en Chile (S)

Chile M. Jauregui M. Jauregui & Qarapara NGO

New centre for sea turtle conservation at Ostional, Costa Rica

Nuevo centro para la conservación de tortugas marinas en Ostional,

Costa Rica (S)

Costa Rica V. Bezy V. Bezy

Table 1. Program presented during 25th RETOMALA “Reunión de Especialistas Latinoamericanos en Tortugas Marinas.” Original title in Spanish (S); Portuguese (P); English (E). Continued on following page


Title in English Original title (presentation language)

Scale of project

Presenters Authors

L. olivacea in Brazil, 39 years of research and conservation

L. olivacea no Brasil, 39 anos de pesquisa e conservação (P)

Brazil C.A. da Silva & B. Giffoni

J. Comin de Castilhos, C.A. da Silva, B. Giffoni, N. Marcovaldi &

Projeto TAMARL. olivacea in Curaçao L. olivacea in Curaçao (E) Curaçao A. Vreugdenhil A. Vreugdenhil

L. olivacea in Venezuela: Historical records and anecdotal data

L. olivacea en Venezuela: Registros históricos y datos anecdóticos (S)

Venezuela H. Barrios-Garrido

H. Barrios-Garrido, N. Wildermann, E. Debouis, M.F.

González & C. BalladaresOlive ridley turtles in Uruguayan

waters: the southernmost records in the South-western Atlantic

Tortuga olivácea en aguas uruguayas: los registros más

meridionales en el Atlántico Sur Occidental (S)

Uruguay D. Gonzales-Paredes

D. Gonzales-Paredes & Karumbé NGO

General TopicsToo rare to wear Too rare to wear (E) Latin

AmericaB. Nahill B. Nahill

PLENARY MEETING- GENERAL OUTCOMES All attendees

Table 1 continued. Program presented during 25th RETOMALA “Reunión de Especialistas Latinoamericanos en Tortugas Marinas.” Original title in Spanish (S); Portuguese (P); English (E).

Figure 1. Locations of the local, national, and regional talks presented during the 25th RETOMALA meeting. Presentations were focused on L. kempii (1-2); L. olivacea (3-16). 1-2: Gulf of Mexico. 3, 5, 12: Ostional beach, Costa Rica; 4: Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; 6: Utria National Natural Park, Colombia; 7: Las Palmas, Portete, and Pacoche beaches, Ecuador; 8: Guatemala; 9-10: Sinaloa, Mexico; 11: Chile; 13: Brazil; 14: Curacao; 15: Venezuela; 16: Uruguay. Details of the locations, projects, and contents of presentations in Table 1.


the MTSG-IUCN. Barrios-Garrido emphasised the importance of the implementation of this index, especially for species where the conservation status is outdated, including both ridley species. Lepidochelys kempii in Mexico: genetic assessment. Miguel Angel Reyes-Lopez presented an overview about the genetic findings (COI gene - DNA sequences) in L. kempii from samples of nesting females in Rancho Nuevo, Mexico. Reyes-Lopez recognised the increase in nest records numbers in the area during the past 25 years. He has developed a DNA barcoding protocol, based on PCR and information analysis, and he presented a phylogenetic tree for L. kempii revealing an unprecedented diversity in the stock. Reyes-Lopez proposed the creation of banks in Latin America to stock DNA samples from marine turtles, to allow future analyses when more accurate and robust technologies are available. Lepidochelys kempii in Mexico: population recovery. Fernando Manzano described the results from his 45 years of work on nesting L. kempii in Tecolutla, Veracruz, Mexico. Manzano, also known as “Papa Tortuga” (Turtle Dad), has helped to engage large numbers of young people to the call to avoid sea turtle consumption, through various social techniques, such as advertisements. Papa Tortuga and his team have achieved a major increase of the rookery in that area, from 500 nests in 1974 to 92,500 nests in 2017. Lepidochelys olivacea in Brazil. Projeto TAMAR is the leading group researching sea turtles in Brazil, with 26 bases spread across the country. Through 39 years of monitoring by Projeto TAMAR, L. olivacea is now one of the most recovered species of sea turtle in Brazil, as demonstrated by increasing population numbers, larger ranges of nesting beaches on the Brazilian coastline, and temporal diversity with nesting individuals. During the presentation, it was noted that Brazil’s L. olivacea population has been increasing while Guyana and French Guiana have smaller populations and Suriname has a declining population. Historically, L. olivacea nesting in Brazil was found only in the state of Sergipe, but following decades of conservation actions, more turtles arrive to nest along a larger range of coastline spanning a number of northeastern Brazilian states both during and outside of the traditional nesting season. In 2006, satellite telemetry showed movement to the north and south along the Brazilian coastline but the studies in 2014 and 2016 have suggested that L. olivacea also cross the Atlantic to West African countries such as Mauritania and Cote d’Ivoire.

Although L. olivacea populations are recovering, shrimp trawling effort in the important nesting areas of Sergipe has been correlated with a negative effect on L. olivacea population. Long line fishing also presents threat. From 1999 to 2017, 22,000 longlines have been monitored which has shown more than 600 L. olivacea individuals injured mostly in the Northeast region of Brazil. Stranded L. olivacea observed in Brazil have been mostly females; however more recently, stranded males have been found as well. Most of these stranded turtles are found in northern Bahia and Sergipe, where recently about 50% of identified stranded individuals were male. Recently, Projeto TAMAR successfully negotiated with the Brazilian government to extend the closed season for shrimp trawling to overlap with peak nesting season for L. olivacea. Although these new fishing rules protect the turtles, enforcement continues to be an issue as illegal shrimp trawling occurs within the closed areas. In terms of land-based threats, fox have been documented predating sea turtles eggs. Foxes are known to dig up nests and eat the eggs before end of incubation.

Lepidochelys olivacea in Chile. M. Jauregui described the relatively limited observations of stranded L. olivacea along the Chilean coast. The first described stranded L. olivacea occurred in the north of Chile in 1991. In 2009, Chile established the National Stranding Registry run by ‘Servicio Nacional de Pesca y Acuicultura (SERNAPESCA)’. The National Stranding registry contains 159 L. olivacea stranding reports from 2009 to 2018 (the author did not include data from the other marine turtle species), of which 119 were alive but with a low rate of successful rehabilitation (most of the live stranded turtle died after days or weeks in rehabilitation). The majority of the strandings are reported for the northern section of the country. Overall, the Chile has a much smaller number of L. olivacea records compared to other countries in the Eastern Pacific, likely due to cold coastal water temperatures from regional upwellings and cold sea currents. There is no necropsy protocol to process stranded turtles; moreover, the number of turtles by life stage is mostly unknown due to the advanced stage of decomposition of turtles when encountered by the stranding network.

Chile has one of the most controlled sea turtle conservation laws throughout the coast, with highly restrictive protocols for interacting with stranded turtles. Currently, only authorized government officials can interact with stranded turtles, regardless of condition. If a non-government researcher were to touch an animal, they are subject to penalties, and if the turtle were to die after, the responders could be prosecuted for the death of a protected species. This likely constrains the collection of data on stranded turtles found in Chile.Lepidochelys olivacea in Colombia. Along the Colombian Pacific and inside Utria National Natural Park, the El Valle area includes La Cuevita and El Almejal beaches and is considered the most important nesting rookery for L. olivacea in South America (Barrientos-Muñoz et al. 2014; Hinestroza & Páez 2001; Martinez & Paez 2000). The “Asociación Caguama,” a community-based group of 17 members, has been monitoring and conserving hundreds of nesting females and hatchings every year since 2008. In 2017, members of WWF Colombia and Centro de Investigación para el Manejo Ambiental y el Desarrollo (CIMAD) trained the Asociación Caguama team on monitoring techniques for various demographic parameters of sea turtles, and introduced other useful tools for a successful and sustainable tourist project. The presenters highlighted the importance of a tourism project as a strategy for reducing local sea turtle consumption and illegal trade.Lepidochelys olivacea in Costa Rica (arribadas). Roldan Valverde presented an overview about historical nesting data and trends of the olive ridley egg harvest at Ostional beach, in Costa Rica. Valverde explained multiple indices that have been used in the past to analyse olive ridleys arribadas (Simpson’s Rule) and to calculate the estimated number of effective nesting females (Gates et al. 1999). Annual numbers of harvested eggs in Ostional during the study period fluctuated between 1,500 and 8,000 nests. There was also summaries on research projects concerning arribadas at Ostional, including variation in hatchling success and its relationship with the harvesting of eggs, and assessing the effect of the egg harvest on the olive ridley nesting population at Ostional beach.

Vanessa Bezy presented a summary of her PhD dissertation concerning L. olivacea arribada behavior in Ostional Beach, Costa Rica. The project focused on potential mechanisms behind the synchronization of nesting that result in the arribadas. Her project was divided in three sections. The first analyzed oceanographic


and environmental parameters associated with arribadas and the numbers of turtles participating. Results showed that most arribadas occur during and after the third quarter lunar phase. In addition, the time since the last arribada and the sea level are also correlated with arribadas, while salinity, humidity and oceanic currents were correlated with the number of turtles that will come out to nest. Bezy stressed that although this information facilitates our understanding the arribada events, they are unable to correctly predict with certainty when the next arribada will happen. The second component used Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to survey coastal waters near the beach during the year. She found there is a higher density of turtles closer to the shore during the rainy season (Aug-Nov), and it appears that turtles approach the inshore area a few days previous to the arribada taking place, although this was not always the case. During the 2016 November arribada, she estimated a 6 km² aggregation of L. olivacea, with a density of one turtle per meter squared. She also found a correlation between the density of turtles in the water and the number of turtles that come out to nest. The third component tested olfactory cues potentially used by turtles to engage in arribada behavior, which Bezy invited the audience to learn more about by seeing her poster.Lepidochelys olivacea in Costa Rica (solitary nesting). Carmen Mejias-Balsalobre presented a summary of 20 years of research carried out by Crema (previously known as Pretoma) in the Nicoya Sur Peninsula, in Costa Rica. Crema monitored five nesting beaches =: San Miguel (1998-2018), Bejuco (2016-2018), Caletas (2002-2015), Costa de Oro (2012-2018), and Corozalito (2008-2018).The latter beach is normally visited by solitary nesting females and infrequently by ‘small arribadas,’ which were defined as arribadas with fewer nesters than Ostional beach. In summary, a positive trend has been documented at all the beaches evaluated in the region. However, further research is needed to verify this positive trend. Lepidochelys olivacea in Costa Rica (conservation). Vanessa Bezy presented a summary of an initiative to establish a new center for the conservation of marine turtles in Ostional, Costa Rica. Given that it is an important area for L. olivacea, this group is trying to create a center that focuses on sea turtles and inspires visitors towards conservation and having a sustainable life. This initiative was established as higher numbers of tourist started to visit Nosara in recent years, with the resulting impacts including light, noise, and land waste production. Currently, Ostional has only an open-air landfill close to the Nosara River that flows out to the ocean in Ostional. The community in Nosara is committed and passionate for environmental conservation, and is concerned about future development that would make them more like to town of Tamarindo, which is known for high levels of tourism and struggles with issues associated with pollution. The group in Nosara is using sustainability as the main focus for tourism, including the social, economic, and tourism aspects. They have worked with the tourism sector to recognize and establish a group of essential stakeholders in the region. These stakeholders are in favor of the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge and support environmental protection. They also have formed a group focused on creating the center for sustainability, which will have facilities for research, and tourism management and logistics. The goal is that all activities at the center must be linked to sustainability.Lepidochelys olivacea in Curaçao. Ard Vreugdenhil spoke about L. olivacea in Curacao, which historically has no records of this

species. In 2016, two live injured L. olivacea turtles were found, treated, and released. Researchers are currently waiting for the next L. olivacea sighting.Lepidochelys olivacea in Ecuador. Felipe Vallejo presented information on L. olivacea in Ecuador on behalf of Equilibrio Azul, a nonprofit organization founded in 2004 that investigates, educates, and conserves the marine environment in Ecuador. Las Palmas, Portete, and Pacoche are significant nesting beaches for L. olivacea, and are where information on the species is collected. Portete beach is considered the most in need of conservation, when in 2008 all hatchlings produced were predated by dogs. Equilibrio Azul monitored the beach, where between 2012 and 2015 they successful released an average of 33,100 hatchlings annually. In April of 2016, an earthquake struck the primary nesting area for L. olivacea nesting, impeding surveys and data collection. Starting in 2017, the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment took over the monitoring of nests laid at Portete, with 52 hatchlings released in 2017 and 136 hatchlings in 2018. Nest monitoring in Las Palmas, Esmeraldas began in 2017 with 213 hatchlings released and 109 hatchlings released in 2018. Las Palmas is located near a large urban area and an oil refinery. In Pacoche Wildlife Refuge, nest monitoring began in 2012 with 144 hatchlings released. In the 2014-2015 season, 191 hatchlings were successfully released, and in the 2015-2016 season, 337 hatchlings reached the ocean. At the time of this presentation, monitoring was still underway for the 2017-2018 season. Currently, the collaboration of the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment and NGOs to monitor and protect nests at Ecuadorian beaches results in around 1,000 hatchlings annually reaching the ocean from the monitored locations. Although L. olivacea nest numbers are increasing, large threats such as dog predation on hatchlings and injuries related to fishing practices continue and need addressing. Lepidochelys olivacea in Guatemala. The ARCAS group presented an assessment of sea turtles in Guatemala, with an analysis of the population sustainability of the current quota of 20% of turtle eggs collected to be incubated in hatcheries and the remaining 80% used for commercial purposes. The group conducted the research by interviews, data collection, Google Earth, track counts and a population analysis. They reported that a 50 km extension of nesting beach in the Caribbean is restricted from egg collection. Additionally, they found that unlike in the past, currently there is little use of shell or meat consumption. A principal threat for turtles in the Caribbean is marine debris in the coastal area. Most of the nesting occurs in the southern Pacific coast of Guatemala and 99% of nests are laid by L. olivacea. Most eggs are collected by professional egg collectors, and according to law, 20% of each nest must be transported to a hatchery for protected incubation. However, most hatcheries are run locally and independently and do not follow proper data collection protocol, although some of them are well funded and managed. ARCAS covers seven nesting beaches with local researchers from July to December. Since 1997, they have been conducting track counts, standardizing the protocol in 2003. They found that the nest density has doubled in the past 14 years: in 2017 there were 28,506 nests in a 254 km span, counting for 2.6 million eggs with an estimated economic value of 2.9 million Guatemalan quetzals, which represents US$ 395,340 and a resale value of US$ 1.6 million (12.7 million Guatemalan quetzals). Furthermore, retrieved eggs placed in hatcheries have increased.


Lepidochelys olivacea in Mexico: population status. Alan Zavala-Norazagaray presented a summary of 14 years of work on sea turtles in Sinaloa, Mexico, focusing on L. olivacea. The researchers have analysed strandings, worked with local fishermen, and learned to do in-water captures. This area is an important feeding ground for five species of sea turtles, and the group has found L. olivacea is the most abundant, with records of juveniles, sub-adults, adults, and even lost-year individuals. Through in-water research, the researchers developed a body condition and health assessment for turtles through collecting blood and other samples. From the biochemistry analyses they established that the population has a 50% female sex ratio. Additionally, from the health assessment they concluded that turtles were largely healthy with a good body condition. This project established the first published biochemistry reference values for the species in a foraging area, amongst other publications related to sea turtle health (Zavala-Norzagaray et al. 2014; Espinoza-Romo et al. 2018; Mejía-Radillo et al. 2019). A highlight of this last publication is that they found pandemic strains of fibropapillomatosis in sea turtles and argue that some species could be acting as a vector for these strains during their annual migrations.Lepidochelys olivacea in Mexico: genetic assessment. Martin del Campo presented a summary of his PhD dissertation project on teratogenesis in sea turtles. The primary objective of the research focused on establishing a relationship between the presence of contaminants such as organochlorines (e.g., Endosulfan) and mercury with the presence of congenic malformations. The project used L. olivacea embryos from nests laid in the north of Mexico (Sinaloa). Some of the findings included a positive relationship between presence of Endosulfan in embryos and congenic malformations, and its absence in normal embryos. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the mercury concentration in embryos with malformations (high concentration) vs. normal individuals (low concentration).Lepidochelys olivacea in Uruguay. Karumbé (an NGO) presented a summary of the 15 L. olivacea reports along the coast of Uruguay from the previous 30 years (González-Paredes et al. 2017). These data came from three sources: Jack Frazer during a trip to Uruguay in 1983, an ICCAT report in 2014 and from Karumbé’s database. The records came from museum specimens, stranding and bycatch records, and from observations made in bars and markets (see details in González-Paredes et al. 2017). One L. olivacea was a live 70 cm CCL turtle with no front flippers. In two cases, DNA samples were used to confirm species identification. These cases represent the southernmost reports of the species in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean.Lepidochelys olivacea in Venezuela. This presentation was based on data compiled by the national stranding database network, organized by the Biological Diversity National Office (coordinated by C. Balladares) and data retrieved from the Gulf of Venezuela, one of the most important feeding areas in the country (based on Barrios-Garrido 2018). The occurrence of L. olivacea in Venezuela is infrequent. Between 2002 and 2018, only 19 records (3% of all sea turtle records nationally) of L. olivacea were registered. It is the sea turtle species with the fewest records at the national level. In the Gulf of Venezuela, since 1987 only 8 records of this species have been documented, representing 0.38% of all 1,311 sea turtle stranding records on this important feeding ground. Due to its rarity, there is relevant information about bio-ecological aspects gathered

from the strandings (Delgado-Ortega et al. 2009; Wildermann & Barrios-Garrido 2012). Acknowledgments. The authors express their gratitude to Dr. Kenneth Lohman (ISTS President-2019) for his support. Also to all RETOMALA’s attendees (in person and on-line) and presenters for their participation which is of intangible value for our society, especially in Latin America. The authors thank the travel grants received by the ISTS and all its donors.BARRETO-SANCHEZ, L. & H. BARRIOS-GARRIDO. 2012.

RETOMALA 18. Huatulco, Oaxaca, México. Marzo-2012. Available: https://docplayer.es/36594661-Memoria-reunion-de-especialistas-sobre-tortugas-marinas-en-latinoamerica-retomala-18.html.

BARRIENTOS-MUÑOZ, K.G., C. RAMÍREZ-GALLEGO & V. PÁEZ. 2014. Nesting ecology of the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) (Cheloniidae) at El Valle Beach, Northern Pacific, Colombia. Acta Biológica Colombiana 19: 437-445.

BARRIOS-GARRIDO, H. 2018. Socio-economic drivers affecting marine turtle conservation status: Causes and consequences. PhD Thesis, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University. Townsville, Australia. 287 pp. https://doi.org/10.25903/5be0fecec8548

BARRIOS-GARRIDO, H. , M.G. SANDOVAL, K.G. BARRIENTOS-MUÑOZ & D. ROJAS-CAÑIZALES. 2018. Report of the 24th RETOMALA: Annual Meeting of Latin American Sea Turtle Specialists (Kobe, Japan - 19 February 2018). Marine Turtle Newsletter 155: 25-28.

DELGADO-ORTEGA, G., M. NAVA & H. BARRIOS-GARRIDO. 2009. Epibiontes hallados en tortuga Lora (Lepidochelys olivacea) en el Golfo de Venezuela. In: Memorias del VIII Congreso Venezolano de Ecología. ALVIZU, P.E., E. MÁRQUEZ & M. RONDÓN (Eds.). VIII Congreso Venezolano de Ecología. Sociedad Venezolana de Ecologia (SVE), Coro, Venezuela. pp. 464.

ESPINOZA-ROMO, B., J. SAINZ-HERNÁNDEZ, C. LEY-QUIÑÓNEZ, C. HART, R. LEAL-MORENO, A. AGUIRRE & A. ZAVALA-NORZAGARAY. 2018. Blood biochemistry of olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtles foraging in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. PloS ONE 13: e0199825.

GARCÍA-CRUZ, M.A., C. CAMPBELL, K.A. BJORNDAL, L. CARDONA PASCUAL, K.M. RODRIGUEZ-CLARK, M. LAMPO, H. VANDER ZANDEN, M. FUENTES, L. PIBERNAT, E. SOLORZANO & A.B. BOLTEN. 2018. Solving the mysteries of male turtles in the Caribbean. SWOT: The State of the World’s Sea Turtles 13: 10-11.

GONZÁLEZ-PAREDES, D., G. VÉLEZ-RUBIO, A.T. HAHN, M.N. CARACCIO & A. ESTRADES. 2017. New records of Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) (Testudines, Cheloniidae) provide evidence that Uruguayan waters are the southernmost limit of distribution for the species in the western Atlantic Ocean. Check List 13: 863-869.

HINESTROZA, L. & V.P. PÁEZ. 2001. Anidación y manejo de la tortuga golfina (Lepidochelys olivacea) en la playa La Cuevita, Bahía Solano, Chocó, Colombia. Cuadernos de Herpetología 14: 131-144.

MARTINEZ, L. & V. PAEZ. 2000. Nesting ecology of the olive


ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) at La Cuevita, Chocoan Pacific Coast, Colombia, in 1998. Actualidades Biologicas Medellin 22: 131-143.

MEJÍA-RADILLO, R.Y., A.A. ZAVALA-NORZAGARAY, J.A. CHÁVEZ-MEDINA, A.A. AGUIRRE & C.M. ESCOBEDO-BONILLA. 2019. Presence of chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in sea turtles in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 132: 99-108.

PUTMAN, N.F., F.A. ABREU-GROBOIS, I. ITURBE-DARKISTADE, E.M. PUTMAN, P.M. RICHARDS & P. VERLEY. 2015. Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacts on sea turtles could span the Atlantic. Biology letters 11: 20150596.

REICH, K.J., M.C. LÓPEZ-CASTRO, D.J. SHAVER, C. ISETON, K.M. HART, M.J. HOOPER & C.J. SCHMITT. 2017. δ13C and δ15N in the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys kempii after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Endangered Species Research 33: 281-289.

ROBINSON, N.J., T.C. DORNFELD, B.O. BUTLER, L.J. DOMICO, C.R. HERTZ, L.N. MCKENNA, C.B. NEILSON & S.A. WILLIAMSON. 2016. Plastic fork found inside the nostril of an olive ridley sea turtle. Marine Turtle Newsletter 150: 1-3.

ROBINSON, N.J. & C. FIGGENER. 2015. Plastic straw found inside the nostril of an olive ridley sea turtle. Marine Turtle Newsletter 147: 5-6.

VALVERDE, R.A. & K.R. HOLZWART. 2017. Sea turtles of the Gulf of Mexico. In: C. HERB WARD (Ed.). Habitats and Biota of the Gulf of Mexico: Before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Springer: New York. pp. 1189-1351.

VÉLEZ-RUBIO, G.M., A. ESTRADES, A. FALLABRINO & J. TOMÁS. 2013. Marine turtle threats in Uruguayan waters: insights from 12 years of stranding data. Marine Biology 160: 2797-2811.


The Third Annual Workshop on the Use of UAS in Sea Turtle Research and Conservation at the 39th International Sea Turtle Symposium - 02 February 2019

Raymond R. Carthy1, ALan F. Rees2 & Thane Wibbels3

1U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, PO Box 110485, Gainesville, FL 32611-0430 USA (E-mail: [email protected]); 2Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE UK

(E-mail: [email protected]); 3Department of Biology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294-1170 USA (E-mail: [email protected]

The 39th International Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, held 2-8 February 2019 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, was host to the third ISTS Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) workshop, entitled, “Problem Solving, Turnkey Systems, and What’s Next.” The enthusiastically received workshops at the two previous symposia in Las Vegas, Nevada and Kobe, Japan were aimed, by design, at introducing new and prospective users to UAS and the information that could be accessed by their use in sea turtle research. As the technology is maturing and becoming more accessible, organizers RRC, AFR, and TW shifted the focus of this workshop to dissemination of information on the “nuts and bolts” of UAS field operations, and optimal setups. The day-long format generously provided by the Symposium organizers allowed for a full morning of presentations and discussion, followed by an afternoon of practical demonstrations. With over 20 other workshops for Symposium attendees to choose from, the UAS workshop saw a moderate attendance of approximately 35 people participating for the entire day, and many interested drop-ins from other sessions.

After opening remarks by RRC, experienced UAS-users Vanessa Bezy, Elizabeth Whitman, Milton Levin, TW, Nerine Constant, and Katia Ballorain provided overviews of their drone-based research programs which included in-water and beach surveys for distribution and abundance, behavioral studies, habitat assessments, and non-sea turtle applications. Presenters were specifically asked to provide information on 1) the questions that they address with drones, 2) the actual drone system (e.g., tools) that they utilize, 3) an overview of the project and logistics, including 4) type of data being collected, 5) problems encountered and recommendations, and 6) legal and safety aspects of UAS use.

Following the presentations, RRC moderated a lively discussion wherein many workshop participants shared their experiences and UAS application interests. The latter ranged from remote area surveys and workload reduction to poaching interdiction. The attendees, organizers, and presenters all exchanged valuable insights, ideas and problem-solving tips to facilitate their research and drone use.

The workshop reconvened after lunch and participants circulated among five demonstration stations that were spread around the room:

RealFlight simulator. Allowed participants to virtually fly a variety of aerial drone platforms on a computer, controller and large-screen monitor setup.Drone and ROV (Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle) hands-on. Several rotorcraft (DJI Inspire, Phantom 4 Pro, Mavic Pro 2), a fixed-wing (SenseFly eBee), two ROVs (Deep Trekker DTG2, Power Vision PowerRay), and field charging equipment were made available for attendees to inspect and manipulate.Three software demonstration setups (Litchi, Pix4D, and Sentera Field Agent). These provided the opportunity for some hands-on experience with widely-used software for flight-planning and post-processing of imagery.

At the end of the workshop RRC and TW fielded final questions, gave wrap-up remarks, and sought feedback from the workshop attendees. Workshop outcomes will include a repository of information presented at the meeting and a Sea Turtle UAS listserv to be launched on Google Groups. The latter will provide a forum for users to help each other problem-solve and share equipment reviews and recommendations.


RECENT PUBLICATIONSThis section consists of publications, books, reports, and academic theses that feature subject material relevant to marine turtles. Most references come from major search engines, and the editors encourage authors to submit their publications directly by email to the Recent Publications editor: [email protected].

ANONYMOUS. 2019. Pacific coral reef survey shows green sea turtle populations increasing. Marine Pollution Bulletin 143: 287-287.

ADAME, M.F., A.H. ARTHINGTON, N. WALTHAM, S. HASAN, A. SELLES & M. RONAN. 2019. Managing threats and restoring wetlands within catchments of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Aquatic Conservation-Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 29: 829-839.

AL BUSAIDI, M., S. BOSE, M. CLAEREBOUDT & M. TIWARI. 2019. Sea turtles tourism in Oman: Current status and future prospects. Tourism and Hospitality Research 19: 321-336.

ALI, N., M.U. KHAN & S.A. KHOSO. 2019. Identification of biological threats zones along the coastline of Karachi. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 16: 3557-3564.

ANTHONY, E.J., G. BRUNIER, A. GARDEL & M. HIWAT. 2019. Chenier morphodynamics on the Amazon-influenced coast of Suriname, South America: implications for beach ecosystem services. Frontiers in Earth Science 7: 35.

ASHOK, A. & R.R. PRAKASH. 2019. Stakeholder preference towards conservation of marine mega fauna: olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) (Eschscholtz, 1829) conservation dilemma in Odisha. Fishery Technology 56: 158-163.

AYALA, L., M. ORTIZ & S. GELCICH. 2019. Exploring the role of fishers knowledge in assessing marine megafauna bycatch: insights from the Peruvian longline artisanal fishery. Animal Conservation 22: 251-261.

BAEZ, J.C., S. GARCIA-BARCELONA, J.A. CAMINAS & D. MACIAS. 2019. Fishery strategy affects the loggerhead sea turtle mortality trend due to the longline bycatch. Fisheries Research 212: 21-28.

BALLESTER, B., R. LABARCA & E. CALAS. 2018. Relations between humans and sea turtles in the coast

of Atacama: two archaeological examples. Boletin Del Museo Chileno De Arte Precolombino 23: 143-162.

BARBANTI, A., C. MARTIN, J.M. BLUMENTHAL, J. BOYLE, A.C. BRODERICK, L. COLLYER, G. EBANKS-PETRIE, B.J. GODLEY, W. MUSTIN, V. ORDONEZ, M. PASCUAL & C. CARRERAS. 2019. How many came home? Evaluating ex situ conservation of green turtles in the Cayman Islands. Molecular Ecology 28: 1637-1651.

BARRATCLOUGH, A . , K . TUXBURY, R . HANEL, N.I. STACY, L. RUTERBORIES, E. CHRISTIANSEN & C.A. HARMS. 2019. Baseline plasma thromboelastography in Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles and its use to diagnose coagulopathies in cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley and green sea turtles. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 50: 62-68.

BEAN, S.B. & J.M. LOGAN. 2019. Stable isotope analyses of cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles at the northern extent of their coastal range. Marine Biology 166: 64.

BECKER, S.L., R.E. BRAINARD & K.S. VAN HOUTAN. 2019. Densities and drivers of sea turtle populations across Pacific coral reef ecosystems. PLoS ONE 14(4): e0214972.

BELL, P.R., F. FANTI, L.J. HART, L.A. MILAN, S.J. CRAVEN, T. BROUGHAM & E. SMITH. 2019. Revised geology, age, and vertebrate diversity of the dinosaur-bearing Griman Creek Formation (Cenomanian), Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 514: 655-671.

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